


Breaking Strength

by Blackruby



Series: Blue Heart [5]
Category: Shall We Date?: Guilty Alice
Genre: Betrayal, Character Death, Civil War, F/M, Friendship, Grief, Heroism, Hurt/Comfort, Magic, Romance, Self Sacrifice, Sins of the Father, Strong Language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-29
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:28:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 21
Words: 48,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26712976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blackruby/pseuds/Blackruby
Summary: This is part of a series of fanfics inspired by NTT Solmare's otome game Shall We Date? Guilty Alice. There's an exposition in the first scene of Blue Heart that should bring everyone up to speed. Dee is my own creation, along with her backstory while the other characters belong to the developer. From BOTF forward, I pretty much went to town and started to create this world as I liked it and develop points from the preceeding stories. That's how what started out as a game inspired fanfic became something that was very nearly original with borrowed characters and premise.It has been a year since Dee was first brought to Wonderland, her life now couldn't be more different from back then. She has a loving boyfriend, a solid group of friends and she has begun to deal with the terrible traumas of her past.Research is still ongoing into trying to prevent the events of six months ago from recurring and trying to figure out how Dee's power to replenish magical energy works. But things never stay quiet for long in Wonderland, there's growing unrest in Gentiana that threatens to boil over into a civil war.
Series: Blue Heart [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1675258





	1. Chapter One

“Here, sweetheart, enthusiasm is great but you’re mixing it too hard. You need to gently fold all the ingredients together.” Dee came up behind the eleven-year-old mouse girl that was getting far more flour on the counter than in the cookie dough mixture. She put her arms around the child and took the wooden spoon, demonstrating the proper technique for her. “There you go, just like that.”

Dee handed the reins back over to the girl and looked around the room to see if anyone else was in need of her help. Twice a week she ran a food technology class at the school in Santorina for the students. There were full time teachers, of course, but they were generalists as a rule so volunteers often gave up their time to pass on their more specialised skills.

Her attention was drawn to the open window at the sound of practice swords clashing together. Ash and Bill were out in the playground, teaching swordplay and archery. Ash gently correcting a trainee’s stance and/or form and Bill’s cheery voice giving out encouragement and praise. Bill also held a woodworking class on a regular basis too to pass on his exceptional carpentry skills. Mad had several strings to his bow, so he held a number of different lessons at the school, including needlework and etiquette. 

Unfortunately, Noir and Sakuto were too busy to teach the schoolchildren, between running their respective countries and researching, their free time was sporadic at best and too short lived to commit to scheduled lessons. Occasionally Joker helped out in the swordplay classes by sparring with Ash, same with Cardia, giving the trainees the benefit of seeing different weapons in action. Opera was the lead researcher on Project Ouroboros – the codename for the search for a sustainable solution to Lory’s power needs, so she wasn’t available to offer her help to the school either.

Back in the kitchens, Dee was demonstrating how to portion the dough out into individual rounds for the cookies and how far apart to space them before sending her students back to their own stations. She was vaguely aware of a whistle sounding from outside before the sounds of a commotion drew her eyes again. It was a tradition at the end of each lesson that Ash and Bill played with the kids for a bit to blow off steam, letting them mob them while they ‘fought’ them off.

Dee watched as the pair laughed, deflecting the practice swords with ease while kids jumped and climbed all over them. One boy had pounced on Ash’s back and he pulled him over his shoulder and spun around as the kid screamed in delight. Bill had found himself surrounded in a corner of the playground, he pretended to be stuck for a moment before he leapt up and climbed the guttering before jumping behind the group with a showy backflip. 

Dee chuckled with a shake of her head; they were absolutely fantastic with the orphans and the kids adored them. Her own students were ready to put their cookie trays in to bake so Dee quickly walked around and made sure all the ovens were set at the right temperature and putting the trays in for some of the younger ones.

“Right, we have eighteen minutes before they are done.” Dee went back to the front and used her phone to set a timer. “What shall we talk about to amuse ourselves until then?” She asked, already knowing the answer as a unanimous chorus of ‘The Other World!’ rang out from all the kids.

“Ok, what would you like to hear about this time? The animals we have that you don’t?” Dee asked as she sat down on her chair and looked out at their eager faces as they nodded. Sometimes the students didn’t believe her when she described certain aspects of her world, it just sounded _too_ fantastical to be credible so she tried to keep to topics that were easier for them to believe.

“Zebras look like horses but they are covered in black and white stripes, no two zebras have the same stripe pattern.” Dee used her phone to show the kids a picture she’d taken of them at the zoo. “In the wild, they are generally hunted by lions and other big cats, I know you have lions here but remember, they don’t talk in my world. None of the animals do.”

Later, Dee had sent her class off with their homemade cookies, the room smelt like baking and she was carefully putting her batch into a tub to take home with her. She tucked it under her arm as she left the schoolhouse and spotted Bill and Ash cooling off under the shade of a tree near the archery targets waiting for her.

“Oh good! There you are! I could smell all those cookies through the window and my stomach would not stop growling!” Bill announced as Dee opened the tub, holding it out to them both. Bill snagged three and Ash took two, they were just simple chocolate chip cookies, nothing too difficult as it was for a school lesson.

“These are really good.” Ash complimented Dee after taking a big bite, the three of them walking out of the playground into the town of Santorina. “So, what is everyone doing for the rest of the day? Anything interesting?” Dee didn’t have any plans and shook her head before Bill spoke.

“I’m planning to go and annoy Sakuto until he takes a break or tries to strangle me, whichever comes first.” Bill had inhaled two of the cookies, carefully wrapping up the third to store it away safely for his best friend. “Catch you both later, take it easy!” Ash and Dee waved as Bill took off.

“What about us then? Shall we take a walk through the memorial garden?” Ash asked as he took Dee’s free hand. The summer flowers were in full bloom, there were blankets of colour in all of the beds and the pair of them loved looking at them so Dee agreed and they headed towards it.

“It’s amazing how you can still smell the different aromas from the flowers instead of it all mixing together into an overpowering mess.” Dee commented as she let go of Ash’s hand so she could crouch down and smell some purple lily-type flowers.

“Oh, that’s not accidental, the architect set the beds out in such a way that stronger smelling plants are further away from the ones with the more subtle scents. Also, the flowers that can attract insects that are harmful to others were planted well away from them.” Ash informed her; a lot of thought had gone into the design of the garden. For instance, the beds around the obelisks that listed the casualties of war were filled with only white flowers.

“Speaking of insects, I’m getting eaten here.” Dee remarked with a frown as she got to her feet, rubbing her bare forearm where she’d just been stung or bitten by something. “I imagine the sugar and vanilla I was using in my baking is attracting them.”

“Yeah, early summer is when the little flower mites are the worst, later on there’s more birds and other insects that like to eat them and keep their numbers down.” Ash told her as Dee swiftly moved away to try and avoid any more stings. He gently tapped on her hand where she was scratching at the bite. “Stop that! You’ll just make it worse.” She was about to retort when they were interrupted.

“Dee! Ash! Help us!” “Up here! We’re stuck!” A pair of familiar voices called down to them from the boughs of a nearby tree. Humpty and Dumpty were sat together on a branch, holding on for dear life. The nine-year-old twins had obviously climbed up but couldn’t get back down.

“I was wondering why neither of you were in my baking group, normally you don’t miss it for the world.” Dee shaded her eyes from the sun as she looked up at them. “You managed to get up there ok, I’m sure you can get down. We’ll be right here to catch you if you fall.” She called up to them encouragingly.

“No! It’s too scary!” Dumpty whimpered as he clutched the trunk of the tree tighter, Humpty doing the same thing to him. Ash sighed under his breath and climbed the tree quickly with practiced skill, reaching the branch they were huddled on in no time.

“Right, come on and grab on to me around my neck.” Ash told them, sitting on the branch as he gathered them both securely in his arms. “Good, everyone holding on tight?” Once he got twin nods, he slid off the bough and landed perfectly back on the ground.

“Are you both ok?” Dee knelt down to check them over once Ash had let Humpty and Dumpty go. They were a little shaken but seemed alright otherwise. “Next time only climb to a height you know you can get down from, you must have been up there for hours. It’s a good thing we came along when we did.”

“We will, promise. I just wish I was as brave as you, Ash, you’re never afraid!” Humpty looked up at him with a familiar expression of awe and hero worship. Ash put a hand on the boy’s head and ruffled his hair affectionately.

“Of course I get scared, silly, everyone does. Being brave isn’t about not being frightened, it’s about being able to act even though you are afraid.” Ash gently shucked under Dumpty’s chin with his hand. “I’m sure the next time you two get into a fix, you’ll be able to get yourselves back out again.” 

He saw Dee raise an eyebrow at him that clearly said ‘ _Should you really be encouraging them to get into even more trouble?_ ’ and he just shrugged at her, it was almost a given that these two got up to mischief on a regular basis. It was frankly astounding that Joker hadn’t torn his hair out in pure frustration by now.

“Here, take a cookie each and run along now. I’m sure your griffon is wondering where you’ve got to.” Dee opened her tub again and let the twins grab one, both stuffing the treat in their mouths as they tore off with a wave and a shouted goodbye. Dee didn’t realise she was scratching at her bite again until Ash took her hand.

“I told you to stop that! Look, it’s all red and angry now.” Ash admonished her. “Aunt Irena has some cream that should soothe it for you, let’s go.” The pair of them were heading out of the gardens when Dee suddenly stumbled, the tub of cookies clattering to the paving stones. Dee would have fallen on her face if not for Ash’s quick reflexes as he caught her. “Oh, careful there!” He chuckled, thinking she’d just tripped but then Dee all but sagged in his arms.

“Ash… Ash, I do _not_ feel well.” She muttered, half slurring her words, her gaze glassy and unfocused. Ash gently lowered them both to their knees before taking his hand and placing the back of it on Dee’s forehead, his eyes widening immediately. He then moved to take a hold of her wrist and measured her pulse.

“My God, you are burning alive and your heart is thundering.” Ash made sure to keep a secure arm around Dee as he dug his phone out of his pocket and dialled Mad. “I need you to come to my place immediately, it’s urgent, there’s something wrong with Dee.” Ash didn’t elaborate further or wait for a response, hanging up and putting it away.

“Come on, let’s get you up and inside.” Ash said but Dee was rapidly losing contact with lucidity, if not consciousness altogether so Ash hoisted her into his arms as he got to his feet. He took a moment to readjust his grip, Dee’s body was worryingly warm and he frowned as he picked up the pace and headed straight for his house.


	2. Chapter Two

A little later and Mad was sitting at the edge of the bed while Ash hovered worriedly behind him. Dee was in the throes of a serious fever, her cheeks unnaturally red, her hair and clothes stuck to her body with sweat as she shivered uncontrollably.

“She’s having a severe allergic reaction to that insect sting.” Mad stated as he carefully twisted Dee’s forearm in his hands to look at the bite from all angles. It was swollen, red and weeping despite a liberal application of cooling cream.

“But that doesn’t make any sense! We’ve all been bitten by flower mites at least a hundred times since we were kids, why has Dee reacted so badly to it?” Ash exclaimed, the volume making Dee groan and move her head restlessly. A low roll of thunder made Ash glance at the window; a storm had blown in unexpectedly after they’d got home, rain beginning to tap insistently on the glass.

“Exactly, it’s a Wonderland insect and we’ve been exposed to them long enough to develop a resistance but this is the first time Dee has been bitten by one so her immune system is overreacting to the unknown threat.” Mad waved his cane and a bowl of cool water and a cloth appeared next to the bed. He soaked it thoroughly before wringing out the drips, gently wiping Dee’s sweaty neck and face.

“Her fever is so bad; shouldn’t we try and bring it down?” Ash asked as Dee shivered again, murmuring something nonsensical under her breath. The brief times when her eyes had been open, she’d been disorientated and confused. She was even less lucid than the time she nearly bled to death and caught a horrendous fever on top of that.

“A high temperature is the body’s way of dealing with a problem, we need to monitor it carefully but trying to prevent it completely will do just as much harm.” Mad finished wiping at Dee’s exposed skin with the cloth, putting it back in the bowl. He picked up her hand and gently pinched the skin on the back, watching as it retracted slowly. “She’s dehydrated, we need to try and get some fluids into her.”

Ash nodded and left the bedroom, heading for the kitchen. He pulled a glass pitcher out of the cupboard and filled it with cold water from the tap. He was just pulling down a glass, wondering if they had any straws when Mad came out of the bedroom himself.

“Do you have some salted crackers or something? She doesn’t just need water; she needs minerals too.” Mad asked as he started to dig around the cabinets to find something. “At worst I can conjure some but I’m going to need all my strength to keep an eye on Dee until the fever breaks.” As an experienced healer, Mad was more than used to long bedside vigils.

The pair were interrupted by a knock on the front door, Ash jogged over to open it, revealing his damp Aunt Irena holding the tub of cookies. Dee had dropped them when she’d collapsed in the gardens and Ash had forgotten all about them. Whatever light hearted comment Irena was about to make dissolved with one look at Ash’s expression.

“I found these outside, what’s happened?” The unofficial leader of the Mouse folk asked as Ash opened the door wider to let his aunt in to get her out of the driving rain. Ash explained the afternoon’s events as Mad found some soda crackers, putting them in his pocket before grabbing the pitcher and glass to go back to the bedroom.

His horrified gasp and alarmed shout had the other two dashing to his side.

“She’s gone! Why is she gone?!” Mad exclaimed, putting the glassware down on the floor sharply before he dropped it. The bed was empty and the window was open. Ash rushed over, opening the sash farther and leaning out, trying to peer through the murky greyness caused by the storm.

“I can’t see her anywhere. We need to find her now! She’ll kill herself out in this with her fever!” Ash pulled his head back in and quickly pulled on a raincoat, grabbing one for Dee when they found her. He tossed an umbrella at Mad who caught it deftly. “Aunt Irena, stay here in case she makes her way back.” Irena nodded as the two men darted out the front door. Even Bill would have a hard time looking for tracks in this weather so they used Mad’s magic instead.

“She went this way. I don’t know why; she must be completely delirious from the fever.” Mad pointed towards the small wood west of Santorina, opening the umbrella to shield from the drenching summer rain, shouting over the thunder. 

Ash passed him Dee’s coat to keep it dry, finding he didn’t care if he got wet, not when his girlfriend was in trouble. He was walking at a pace one notch below running when a flash of lightning made something sparkle in his peripheral vision. Ash closed in on a spiky bush and found Dee’s necklace that she almost never took off. Her key, Noir’s wooden talisman and the phoenix talon all hung off the simple leather cord that had got caught on a branch and snapped.

“She really must be out of it if she hasn’t noticed she’s lost this.” Ash muttered as he shoved it into his pocket, also noting that Dee would probably be covered in scratches if she fell into this bush in her delirium. Mad had caught up with him and he pointed with his cane again to indicate which way she had been headed. “How did she get so far away so quickly? I know she can run but she’s sick, damnit!” Ash was ranting and complaining rhetorically, he just needed an outlet for his worry.

The pair of them picked their way through the woods when they saw something glowing in the distance, at first Mad thought that the lightning must have struck a tree and made it catch fire. When they got a little nearer, they saw the light was coming from inside a natural cave, and according to the tracking magic, Dee was in there too.

Ash crept into the open mouth of the cave, raising a finger to his lips for Mad to be quiet. But it turned out his caution was unnecessary as he came upon Wonderland’s only remaining phoenix. The majestic bird raised her head sharply at sensing their approach but her golden eyes softened when she saw who it was.

“Did you lose track of something important, warrior?” It was as if the words themselves carried warmth, seemingly chasing away the chill of running around in the rain as soon as they reached Ash’s ears. The phoenix nodded down to her left where Dee was cradled in her wing feathers, curled up in a tight ball, shivering and coughing.

“Dee! Oh, thank you so much for finding her, Miss Phoenix.” Ash exclaimed as he rushed over to Dee’s side. Mad joined him and checked Dee over carefully, she had several scrapes but was otherwise unharmed. Thankfully the phoenix’s wing had dried out her drenched clothes and hair, Mad conjured a cup of water as Ash carefully pulled Dee into a sitting position. “Here, you must be very thirsty after your little adventure. Why did you jump out the window?”

“I was following the ringing.” Dee’s eyes were still dazed and unfocused but she drank obediently when the cup was put to her lips. “I had to get to the bell or… or something bad would happen. But the rain was red… and roses, the white roses were wet.” Dee’s fever induced ramblings were making little sense to the other three present.

“We need to get her back to the house somehow. Any ideas?” Ash slowly lowered Dee back down now they had got some fluids into her, he wished Noir was here, they could do with a teleportation spell right about now.

“I will carry you back to Santorina, just this once.” The phoenix bent her head down low so Mad could climb up her neck and on to her back. Ash picked Dee up again, this time draping her across his back and Mad helped to pull him up. Once they were settled the phoenix left the cave and took to the skies. It was next to no time before she landed outside Ash’s house and let them down.

“Thanks, Madam… Phoenix.” Dee muttered from where she had her head resting tiredly on Ash’s shoulder in a moment of lucidity. The phoenix lent down and touched Dee’s forehead gently with her beak, a gesture filled with familial affection.

“My pleasure, rest and get well.” The phoenix replied, nodding at Ash and Mad before she stretched her wings and took flight again. Mad turned and opened the front door for them, walking in to the house before stopping in surprise. 

“You’ve been… busy, Irena.” Mad commented as Ash poked him in the back to get him to move out the way. Irena had dragged out fresh sheets, pillows and blankets to make up the couch. She had the bowl and cloth on the coffee table, along with some drinking water and more crackers.

“Well, I figured if we put Dee in here then she won’t be able to escape if we’re all watching her and everything is nearby.” She explained as Ash came over to the couch and gently let Dee down, where she immediately flopped down and buried her face into the nearest pillow. “I’ve also made some chicken broth if we can convince her to have some, if not, it’ll keep.”

“She could do with some fresh clothes; she’s sweat right through these and the rain hasn’t helped.” Mad waved his cane and replaced Dee’s clothes with some light cotton pyjamas. Ash managed to manhandle his mostly asleep girlfriend under the covers, remembering her necklace when he felt the talon poking into his hip.

“We’ll need to get her a new cord for this. A braided one would be stronger.” Ash commented as he took it out of his pocket and put it on the table. “The Lizard Clan have artisans who do some amazing leatherwork. I’ll send Bill a message.” Ash sat on the floor next to the couch and took out his phone. Mad, meanwhile, was taking Dee’s temperature again.

“Her fever seems a little lower now, thankfully. The impromptu shower outside may have helped. Do you have any ice packs? – Oh wait, this isn’t the world with fridge-freezers, darn it!” Mad grumbled but Ash got to his feet again.

“My totem is in my room, I’ll just pop over to our place, I know there’s a couple of packs we could use there.” He darted back into the bedroom while Irena came over to the couch with a bowl of the broth. She sat down on the coffee table as Mad gently pulled Dee into a sitting position.

“Oh my, that’s one hell of a scowl!” Irena tried not to sound too amused, she knew Dee must be feeling horrendous right now. “I know you’re tired but try and have some of this soup. If you don’t eat then you’re going to feel even more washed out once the fever breaks.” Irena held the spoonful of broth to Dee’s mouth and she allowed herself to be fed.

“The bell is still ringing.” Dee mumbled as she squeezed her eyes shut, her head pounding. She opened her mouth for more broth before she asked. “Is the rain still turning the roses red?” Irena just nodded along with whatever Dee said, knowing that fever dreams rarely made any sense. 

She managed to get another three spoonfuls into Dee before she indicated she was done by slumping back down with the grace of a rock. Ash came back out of the bedroom, holding two gel ice packs in his hands. Mad took them and wrapped them in a tea towel each and tucked them under Dee’s armpits, she started shivering again but that didn’t seem to stop her dozing off.

“Right, hopefully the fever breaks at some point tonight and we can avoid a chest infection from her running out in the rain.” Mad commented as he sank down in the armchair, summoning a tea set as they all settled in for the night.


	3. Chapter Three

Ash paused for a moment and adjusted the crate of cider he was carrying on his shoulder before picking up the carrier bags again with the other, the sound of wine bottles clinking together as they resettled.

“Yeah, yeah, we all know how strong you are, no need to rub it in.” Joker grumbled as he privately feared he’d never get circulation back into his fingers. Thankfully they weren’t overly far from the dorm now. “Think this will be enough drinks for the party?” Today was a special day, it was one year since Dee had wandered into a strange glassware shop and had purchased a certain jewellery box.

“Should be, if not then someone will have to do another off-license run.” Ash replied, sniffing the air as they got into the corridor leading to their flat. Dee and Mad had been on cake and party food duty, spending the whole morning in the kitchen, working around each other liked they’d choreographed it.

The front door was on the latch so it opened when Joker pushed it with his shoulder and stumbled across the threshold. He put his bags down on the nearest clear piece of flooring and flexed his reddened hands. Noir smirked at him in amusement from where he was filling bowls with dry snack foods like crisps, nuts and the like.

“You know, you could make this go a lot easier if you just used your magic to hang these.” Cardia grumbled from where he was balancing precariously on the arm and back of the couch to hang streamers and banners with Opera.

“And where would be the fun in that? Plus, this is an Other World party so we shall do this the Other World way.” Opera answered with a good-natured laugh as she taped her end to the ceiling, standing on the armchair. Sakuto and Ruber were sequestered in his room, preparing the prizes for some traditional party games that Sakuto had read about and wanted to try out, like pass the parcel etc. Just then, the twins came barrelling out of Bill’s bedroom, followed by the man himself.

“Phew! Found them eventually! I swear these kids need trackers.” He announced as he headed over to the kitchen as Dee rolled out some royal icing and tucked it neatly around the last of the three cakes she’d baked. “Oooh, Joker! Get your video camera, Dee’s about ready to start decorating.” As it turned out, that shout made everyone stop what they were doing, ready to watch the master at work.

“Geez, you _do_ know this is going to take ages, right?” Dee asked as she put two of the tiers in the fridge to chill. She had taken a couple of days to get over her allergic reaction to being bitten by a flower mite but thankfully felt absolutely fine now. Around her neck were her prized treasures on a brand new braided cord made for her especially by one of the Lizard Elders. “Right, time to put on some music, I think!” She declared as she put her phone into a music dock and set it off.

“So, Dee, talk us through this cake. What’s this tier made out of?” Joker asked from behind his camera as Dee got a bowl and started making a large batch of buttercream icing that she tinted cobalt blue.

“Base layer in a tiered cake should always be made out of something that’s going to take the weight of the others, this is a spiced fruit cake. It’s full of candied raisins and a little orange zest too.” Dee explained as she dropped a serrated nozzle into her piping bag before loading it up with icing from her bowl. Dee moved to her cake which was sitting on a rotating plate and she began the laborious task of piping a basket weave over all the sides of it.

Once that was done, Dee put the central dowel into the top of the cake and four shorter dowels in a square around it. Then she made up another batch of icing, a red/orange colour this time. She picked out a ruffle tip nozzle, using a cake spreader to put a single line of the new icing up one side of the bag before filling the rest with the blue icing. She grabbed a flower nail and started piping out blue roses with the reddish hue at the top edge of the petals.

“I love watching you make buttercream flowers.” Ash admitted as he got a couple of small plastic cups and filled them with juice for the twins, handing it to them as they went to play Mario Kart with Noir and Cardia. “I mean, look at you! You’re standing there half-dancing to the music and you’re still making them in next to no time.” Dee beamed at him as she slid her fourth perfect rose on to the top of the cake.

“Practice, practice and more practice. There’s a reason this tip is also known as a rose tip.” Dee informed him as she carried on until she’d filled the top, making this layer a basket of flowers. Then she went back to the fridge and pulled out the second layer and put it on a circle of cake board. Dee then carefully lined it up and pushed the central dowel through the centre and rested the board on the other struts.

“This layer is devil’s food cake, so it’s just chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate.” Dee smiled when she saw Mad’s ears perk up from where he was transferring mini sausage rolls on to a plate. She used a ruler and a pointed shaping tool to mark a grid out all over the top and sides. “Can you guess what I’m planning to do?” She asked as she grabbed two small bowls and made a batch of ivory coloured icing and a black batch too.

“A chessboard?” Ruber answered as she accepted the glass of red wine offered to her by Sakuto. Dee grinned at her with a nod as she used a tiny spatula and spreader to fill in the squares on the cake with the alternating colours. “Are you certain I can’t convince you to be my personal cake chef?”

“You aren’t the first to ask me that, not even this week! Thanks, but I’d rather stay a hobbyist.” Dee laughed as she took some of the royal icing cut offs and began to shape it into a white king and a pawn, which she placed on one side of the board. She massaged a few drops of black food colouring into another ball of icing and made a black king and a rook for the other side.

“There’s nowhere in this world or Wonderland where you would be considered just a hobbyist, Dee, and that’s the truth.” Opera stated as Dee carefully added four more structural dowels into the cake before retrieving the final layer from the fridge, she knelt on a stool to make sure to thread it on the central strut properly, unaware of Ash hovering protectively behind her to make sure she didn’t fall. Dee hopped back down after making sure nothing was poking out the top of the cake.

“And this is our old friend, the lemon drizzle cake. What I’ve got planned for the decoration is really sweet so I needed to make something to balance that out.” Dee went to where she’d left her bag and pulled out some stencils, nabbing a bottle of beer that Bill opened and held out to her as she passed him. “Thanks, I’m parched!” She said as she took a swig and put it down on the counter.

She pinned the stencils to the cake and used a fine shaping tool to trace the outlines into the royal icing, there were sunflowers, violets, lilies and even a bumble bee. Then Dee made up some edible paints, using her own recipe from when she’d made some baking tools out of cake. Her face was a picture of concentration as she painstakingly painted in the background in the same blue as the base layer, having reused the icing for the paint.

“Do you realise you stick your tongue out when you are doing something fiddly?” Joker asked as he zoomed in a little on what Dee was doing. Dee didn’t answer him for a few minutes, using her paintbrush to colour in some leaves.

“Sorry, I’m not as confident in my painting skills as my baking… but yes, I’ve done it since I was a kid apparently.” She added a little more food colouring to her paint to darken it and proceeded to add some subtle shading to the leaves. “Used to drive my art teacher insane, he’d correct me every time I did it. Not sure what his problem was, said it was unhygienic but it’s not like I was drooling on things. Weirdo.”

When Dee had finished the painting, she got a very thin round nozzle and loaded her piping bag with the black coloured icing again. She outlined all the flowers and designs as well as drawing lines over the patches of sky to create the segmented look of a stained-glass window. She finished her piping and slowly spun her turntable around to look at the cake from all angles.

“There, it’s done.” Dee stepped back from the counter with a grin while a round of applause broke out among her friends. Most of them took out their phones to take pictures of it while Joker finally wrapped up his filming. “I’m knackered now, sit down time for me, I think. Help yourselves to the leftover icing and paint.” She grabbed her beer and sank herself down into the armchair, grabbing a bowl of crisps from the coffee table.

It was after that the party started in earnest, Sakuto kicked off the party games with pass the parcel. Dee didn’t have the heart to point out that this was a kid’s game when she saw how excited everyone was to play it. It did make her wonder what kind of games were played in Wonderland?

A couple of participants (Bill and Joker) were breaking the spirit of the rules by passing the parcel along too slowly so Sakuto amended the rule that whoever had the parcel in hand when the music stopped, had to give it to the person on their right to unwrap. Predictably, this led to the parcel traveling the circle at something resembling Mach 3.

Pin the Tail on the Donkey was abandoned when Mad got too dizzy and almost gave Noir an unwanted tail on his arm. Twenty Questions was a bust for Dee as she didn’t know anyone that the others picked out and vice versa but still, they were all having lots of fun. The music was playing, the drinks were flowing and everyone was stuffed to bursting. 

The evening wore on and when Humpty and Dumpty got tired, Joker put them in his room and Opera put a charm on the door that stopped the party noise going in but not any sounds coming back out. It was at that point that Dee decided to dig out the deck of cards she’d brought along.

“I thought I could teach you all a card game or two, that should be fun.” Dee slid the cards out of the box and started shuffling them. “But first! A magic trick from my world, pick a card and don’t let me see, then put it face down on the deck.” Dee spread out the cards in her hand and offered them to Cardia who selected a card and memorised it before putting it back.

“Right, now I’ll shuffle the deck back up like this.” Dee’s hands moved quickly as she spoke before she held the deck out again, waved her free hand over the top, tapped it and flipped the top card face up. “Six of Clubs, was this your card?” She asked as Cardia gasped with a nod.

“How did you do that without proper magic?” He asked as Dee laughed and shuffled the deck again before turning the top card to show it was the Six of Clubs still.

“There’s certain ways to shuffle cards that guarantees a certain card is at the top or bottom of the deck. It’s just a little sleight of hand but anyone paying too much attention to the movement of the cards would spot it. Ok, so what should I teach you?” Dee trailed off as she thought to herself, wondering what would be easiest when she was distracted by the conversation Bill and Joker were having.

“How have we gone through that entire case of cider when it’s only a few of us who drink it? You’re gonna have to go back to the off-license and get some more.” Bill said as he broke down the cardboard box and tucked it into the recycling bin.

“No way! I did the first run!” Joker protested as he dug into his pocket and pulled out a coin. “I’ll flip you for it. You call.” 

“Heads.” Bill chose as Joker flicked the coin upwards with his thumb, catching it on the back of his hand before revealing it. “Damnit! Looks like I’m doing a supermarket run, anyone else want anything?” Bill asked, taking orders before he headed out the dorm.

“Heheh, Bill really needs to learn how to spot a rigged coin flip.” Joker chuckled to himself as he grabbed another slice of cake. Meanwhile, Dee had decided that Go Fish was probably one of the easiest card games she knew so she pushed the coffee table aside and sat down on the floor with her legs crossed. How hard could it be?

Half an hour later, she had her answer when Ruber refused to give up her queens, Mad couldn’t grasp the fact that he had to have some sevens before he could ask for them and Joker was still sulking because Dee wouldn’t put the jokers in the deck because there were only two of them, which wasn’t enough to make a ‘fish’.

“Oh God, this is anarchy! I need another drink.” Dee hoisted herself to her feet and walked into the kitchen where Opera was talking to Cardia, Sakuto and Noir. She took one look at Dee’s face and pushed a shot of tequila across the counter top, which Dee downed in one. “Thank the stars I didn’t try to teach them something difficult like Canasta or Euchre.”

“Where did you learn so many card games anyway?” Cardia asked in interest as Dee pulled a plate of spring rolls over to grab a couple. Ash and Bill having commandeered the tv to play Mortal Kombat, though the pair of them were just button bashing but they seemed to be having fun nevertheless.

“My parents taught me. We lived in a little hamlet and the electricity would get knocked out on a regular basis so we’d drag our pillows and blankets into the living room, light a fire and play card games by torchlight to pass the time.” Dee bent down to grab another beer out of the fridge, taking the bottle opener Noir offered her. “Thanks… are you ok, Noir? You seem a little subdued.” She asked as she popped the cap off of her drink.

“Yeah, I’m fine really, just a little tired. There’s been a bit of unrest in Gentiana these last few weeks. There’s a militant group that call themselves The Black Wave that want a return to the old aggressive and expansionist policies of before. They’ve been around since I deposed my father in all honesty but they’ve always been pretty quiet, up until recently anyway.” Noir explained as he plucked the black king chess piece off of the cake and bit into it.

“They probably thought your reign would collapse in its infancy but it’s been almost a year now. They are probably getting desperate and are trying to destabilise things for you.” Sakuto commented as he did the same thing with the white king piece. 

“At the moment they are just holding rallies in the towns with some occasional petty vandalism and crime, it would be easier if we could identify the ringleaders and arrest them, the group would probably just wither away then.” Noir rubbed the back of his neck in frustration. Opera gave him a sympathetic look.

“I’ll keep an ear out and let you know if I hear anything.” She said and the other three nodded their agreement. The sound of a glass being knocked over caught their attention and they looked into the living room in time to see Mad trying to fish the playing cards out of the wine puddle before they got too soggy.

“There’s a much easier way to do that.” Ruber declared as she waved her sceptre, cleaning up the spill and drying out the cards. “Dee! Come back and teach us another game, Ash said there’s a game called ‘Hearts’ in this world!” Ruber’s red eyes gleamed in interest as Dee gulped and took a fortifying swig of her beer, Cardia giving her an impulsive salute which she returned as he declared.

“Into battle, brave soldier! God speed!”


	4. Chapter Four

The next morning and Dee was sitting at the kitchen counter trying not to fall asleep and/or drown in her coffee as she wondered why she wasn’t still curled up in bed with Ash? She’d got up for a reason but she was struggling to remember what it was right now. Joker came out of his room with his hair spiked up even more haphazardly than usual, he stumbled over and stole the mug from Dee’s hand and took a large swig.

“Hey! Get your own!” She objected with a gravelly voice, wincing as her throat and head protested the words. Painkillers. That’s what she’d got up for. “Where are Humpty and Dumpty?” Dee asked as she stretched over the counter and grabbed a small bottle of aspirin that the hangover faeries had left out for them. However, shaking the bottle revealed it was empty, damn capricious faeries.

Joker touched the rose brooch on his chest to indicate that he’d taken them home earlier, evidently not up to speech quite yet. Joker had been one of the last standing in the early hours of that morning and Heavens only knew what time the kids had woken him at, maybe Dee could forgive him that stolen mouthful of coffee after all.

The other two members of the 4am club were snoring gently in the living room. Cardia snorted in his sleep from where he was stretched out across the couch, he was using his jumper as a rather ineffective cover, thankfully it had been a warm night. Noir was curled up in the armchair underneath a spare blanket, his purple hair sticking out the top. The soft noises that he was making in his sleep could be mistaken for purring… or maybe it’s just that Dee’s ears were still buzzing from the music last night.

“Good morning, friends!” Bill declared loudly and deliberately as he walked out of his room, inspiring a universal groan of pain from everyone else in the room. Bill grinned and picked his way through the mess left after the party and opened the fridge to grab a bottle of apple juice.

“It’s sickening how well you look considering I know you drank more cider than I did.” Joker was poking at a leftover piece of cake, wanting it (because Dee’s cake) but doubting if he could actually stomach it. “Why do you never have hangovers?” Bill had filled a glass with water and pushed it under Dee’s nose along with a strip of paracetamol, she took them and mouthed _‘I love you’_ at him before swallowing two down with the water.

“My liver is made of cast iron. I grew up drinking Gentian rum, that stuff can double as an emergency bloodstain remover in a pinch. Everything else might as well be watered down for all the effect it has on me.” Bill noticed a dark bruise on Dee’s neck and hooked a finger in her collar to drag it down for a better look, giving Dee a teasing grin.

“Wait, what was that? Why were you drinking Gentian rum as a child for a start?” Dee asked as she batted Bill’s hand away, completely unashamed. Behind her Sakuto’s door opened hurriedly as he ran for the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. Dee winced in pain and sympathy at the sound of his heaving, the shooters with Opera had been a terrible idea but with admittedly hilarious results. Who would have guessed that tequila made Sakuto a soppy drunk?

“I was actually born and raised in Gentiana. My mother had fallen in love and married my father, moving to Ebonia village with him where she worked as a barmaid but she died when I was only little. My dad didn’t give a shit about raising me so I just ran the streets with the other orphans, that’s how I became a thief, you see.” Bill explained as Mad stumbled out of his room, his normally immaculate clothes askew as he headed for the bathroom but Sakuto was still holed up in there, making him whine like a kicked puppy.

“Wait, does that mean that you’re half Cat?” Joker had forgot about his cake so Dee returned the earlier favour and used a fork to steal a bite. When Bill nodded, he added. “Huh, I would never have guessed, you evidently take after your mother. Probably a good thing considering that your dad sounds like a right bastard.”

“Yeah, after Sakuto saved my neck, he encouraged me to go to the Lizard village to connect with my roots, I found my mother’s parents and they welcomed me with open arms and I’ve never looked back since. I do think being half Cat has improved my hunting skills and agility though, so I suppose I can thank my father for that.” Bill shrugged as Opera came out of Mad’s room, not looking quite as fresh as Bill but definitely faring better than most of the others.

“Ok, let’s get all this rubbish cleared up.” She announced and waved her staff, cleaning up the room instantly. “I also have it on good authority that the best cure for a hangover is a full fried breakfast so here goes!” She waved her staff again and a steaming plateful appeared in front of everyone in the room, along with cutlery.

“God, that smells so good.” Cardia had finally woken up, grabbing the breakfast and digging straight in. Ash and Ruber eventually surfaced and Sakuto tore himself away from the toilet long enough for Bill to get some water and dry toast into him to settle his queasy stomach. However, there wasn’t much Bill could do for the embarrassment factor for a king after hanging off of everyone and telling them that they had pretty eyes. 

Dee had brought her plate into the living room, sitting down on the couch next to Cardia. She offered him her mushrooms as she wasn’t a fan of them and he gave her his hash brown in return.

“You know we’ve eaten way too many fry ups together when we’ve got our trades down to a fine art.” Dee chuckled as Ash put another cup of coffee down for her, that’s when Dee noticed. “Oh, you’ve got a hole in your jumper, how did that happen?” Cardia blinked at her before looking down at the jumper in his lap, the hole was about mid-way down the side on the seam.

“I have no id- wait, actually I have a vague recollection of Noir slipping in the kitchen and he grabbed on to me. It probably ripped then.” Cardia frowned and poked at the hole. Dee put her plate down on the table and got up from her seat. She headed into the kitchen and opened one of the drawers, pulling out a small sewing kit.

“Give it here, you don’t live on your own for as long as I have without learning how to fix small tears in your clothes.” Cardia handed it over to Dee and she turned it inside out before threading her needle with some strong matching thread. Even horrifically hungover, she was able to repair the hole and it wasn’t even noticeable when turned back the right way out.

“Thank you so much, Dee. I’d say that seam is probably even stronger than it was before.” Cardia ran his fingers along it with an impressed look on his face. “I can never seem to find the time to sit down and fix things, even when I do, I can’t make such a nice job on it.”

“Alright alright, stop laying it on so thick, I’m not gonna sew up all your clothes so stop angling!” Dee teased Cardia with a grin as she picked her plate back up to finish her food. Cardia made a show of looking disappointed but he winked at her when he caught her eye.

After breakfast, none of them had any plans for the morning, so they ended up all piling into the living room, squashing together on the couch and floor as they took turns on the games console.

“That was not fair! I led that race for 95% of it!” Dee cursed as she was pipped at the post by Joker throwing a red shell at her at the last moment. They’d bet on the outcome and now she had to pay up, Ash was closer so he tossed her purse over to her.

“Ooh! What’s that?” Mad pointed to the corner of a photo sticking out of the purse as Dee opened it and handed a fiver over to a gloating Joker. Dee pulled the picture out to show him, Mad gasped and very nearly squealed. “Oh. My. Gosh! Aren’t you just adorable with your little gappy smile and pigtails? And this must be your mum and dad, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Mrs Underwood had dug out a load of old photos last time I went to visit her and she let me take this one. It had been so long since I’d seen a picture of them, I’ve got my mother’s hair colour and my dad’s eyes.” Dee’s voice was nostalgic as she traced the edge of her mother’s face with her finger. Mad placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. Suddenly the picture was wrenched from her grasp. “Opera?! Don’t snatch!” Dee glared at her but Opera was too busy staring at the picture in shock.

“Your father has a ‘Heart’.” Those words brought complete silence to the entire room; Mario Kart forgotten as everyone turned their eyes to Opera in surprise. “Look, Ruber! See? I’m not making this up, both of Dee’s parents have ‘Hearts’.” Ruber took the photo that was shoved under her nose.

“But… but men can’t make a ‘Heart’! It’s just not possible!” She held the photo as close to her face as she could manage, trying to discern the answers to the questions that this simple picture was throwing up but finding nothing.

“Not possible? Just like it was ‘not possible’ to make a blue ‘Heart’? Or ‘not possible’ to replenish the power of magical beings directly from the energy inside them?” Noir spoke up from where he was sitting cross legged in the armchair as he rubbed his chin in thought. “Dee’s already done the impossible twice now and we’ve been trying to work out why, _this_ might be the answer we’ve been looking for.”

“In all the time I’ve spent in this world, I’ve never once seen a man with a ‘Heart’.” Opera looked so shaken that Cardia felt compelled to stand from the stool he was sitting on and guide her on to it. “We _need_ to establish for certain if this is a factor in Dee’s power, it could change all the assumptions we’ve been working with so far in Project Ouroboros.”

“You mean you want to bring a woman with a ‘Heart’ to Lady Lory? Someone whose father doesn’t also have a ‘Heart’; I’d imagine.” Sakuto asked, they’d discussed the practicalities of doing that before but other threads of research had seemed more pressing once they’d discovered they could store Dee’s excess ‘Heart’ magic in potion bottles. “The same ethical objections I raised last time still stand, it’s unfair to show someone Wonderland solely for our own purposes and then not allow them to return.”

“What if we set it up so she thinks she’s dreaming? We’d only be able to bring the woman there when she falls asleep anyway so it shouldn’t be too difficult to do the test, give her some nice memories to say thanks and then let her wake up from a good dream.” Ash’s suggestion made Dee look up at him with an approving smile.

“Yes, I think that would be both doable and acceptable from a moral standpoint.” Ruber nodded, doublechecking that Sakuto agreed with a swift glance. “Opera, do you think you could find someone who meets our criteria?” Ruber handed the photograph back to Dee as Opera looked thoughtful.

“There’s an independent corner shop nearby that is run by a family. There’s the parents and two daughters, both of them are around Dee’s age and I think one just got married. Shouldn’t be too hard to check on the ‘Heart’ status of everyone in there.” Bill piped up from the floor in between the table and the couch. He had singlehandedly befriended every shop owner in a five-mile radius with his infectious personality, landing himself frequent discounts.

“Show me?” Opera asked as she stood up, she was antsy and wanted to get answers sooner rather than later. There was nothing a scientist hated more than an unanticipated factor. Once they had picked their target, then they could discuss the execution of the plan to get her to Wonderland for the night. Bill nodded and jumped up to his feet, the pair of them heading out immediately.

“Hey, you ok there?” Joker nudged Dee gently, she’d been staring at the photograph lost in her own thoughts. The jovial afterglow from the party had been replaced with a more sombre and introspective mood.

“Yeah, just a bit of a shock and I don’t know what to think about it, actually.” Dee sighed and shook her head, trying to forcibly drive back her worries. “You know, I wish I could see my parents’ ‘Hearts’. Just before they died, I remember always being mortified when they were affectionate with each other in public. They were so in love that it was sickening really.” Dee’s chuckle was a little wobbly and she felt Ash’s hand carding through her hair soothingly. Ruber slid off the couch and knelt down in front of Dee.

“Close your eyes.” She told Dee and she obeyed. She felt Ruber tap her forehead lightly with her sceptre. “There you go, a present from one orphan to another. Open them now but it’ll only last for a couple of minutes.” Dee opened her eyes and her sense of perception had altered somewhat, familiar things and faces seem to be more sharply defined than before.

When she looked back at the photograph, she couldn’t help but gasp. The crystals were so beautiful, her mother’s was scarlet, bright and shining like a beacon that radiated light and warmth, just as she had in life. Her father’s was a much deeper maroon which seemed fitting as he’d always loved with his whole being, never holding anything back. Dee’s lips trembled minutely and she smiled as she whispered.

“Mum used to tell me that love, any type of love, was a fire that burned more than it warmed. Sometimes you don’t know if you want to draw closer or pull away.” The Awakening Crystals faded away as Ruber’s magic wore off. “But she told me it was _always_ worth the sting… I think she was right.”


	5. Chapter Five

Dee fought to stop herself from rolling her eyes as Emma gushed over everything she saw, she was never this gormless when she first came to Wonderland, surely? She couldn’t ask out loud as any sound would break the illusion spell that Opera had cast. They were in Lory’s glade to conduct the test; everyone involved with Project Ouroboros was interested in the results but they didn’t want to risk the plausibility of the dream by having too many people around Emma at once, hence the magic.

Lory and Opera were the only two people visible to her while the rest of them stood in a wide circle around them, hidden from sight. They finally got Emma to sit down on the picnic blanket with them, and after a few minutes of conversation, Lory took her hand like it was the most natural thing in the world so she was less likely to question it. 

There was a subtle aura of light that surrounded the pair of them, Dee was fascinated as she’d never seen the transfer from the outside before. It was as if the Sun was rising on a clear morning just behind them, giving them a soft ethereal glow. Suddenly, the smile disappeared from Lory’s face and she dropped Emma’s hand like she’d been burnt and shot a pointed look at Opera as she spoke.

“I think that’s enough tea and cake for now, I’m sure Emma would like to explore some more.” That was Sakuto and Bill’s signal to show Emma a good time before she woke back in the Other World so they stepped forward with big smiles on their faces as they led Emma out of the glade.

“What happened?” Mad asked once they were gone, his face was grim as he looked between Lory and his older sister. Noir dug his notebook out of his pocket, ready to take down the results of their short lived experiment, success or failure.

“That was life energy, not ‘Heart’ magic.” Opera informed them with a solemn air, Dee gave a horrified gasp and covered her mouth. “Don’t worry, her life hasn’t been shortened by anything except maybe a few seconds. No, what’s more pressing is the confirmation that Dee’s ability to transfer magic to others is apparently unique to her.”

“We are going to have to look into your father, Dee, the answers may be in his ancestry. What can you tell us?” Ruber asked Dee who went to sit down on the blanket, hoping that no one spotted her legs had started shaking at the implication that Wonderland’s bloodless existence through eternity rested on her ‘Heart’ alone.

“Right, well I know he was Mediterranean on his mother’s side. A little Greek and some Italian mixed in there, I think. My grandmother’s maiden name was… Comis. Mrs Underwood might know more about that; I’ll have to ask her.” Dee wished she’d paid more attention to this stuff growing up, who knows what important things she might have forgotten about?

“It’s alright, Dee, that’s a good starting place for now, don’t fret.” Lory’s hand came up to stroke some of Dee’s hair out of her face. In the months since the fight with the Bandersnatch, Dee had worked hard at controlling her power and had been able to get to the point where touch didn’t always lead to an involuntary transfer, unless she was overtired. This was quite useful as it ensured that no ‘Heart’ magic was wasted by casual contact.

“Knowing this now, I think it’s important that we keep Dee’s power top secret for her own safety. If the truth behind Wonderland became well known, she could be targeted for any number of reasons.” Noir spoke steadily, just like they didn’t want to sacrifice the lives of people from the Other World to maintain Wonderland in the future, they didn’t want Dee imprisoned for life by fearful citizens. The others agreed wholeheartedly, they had already been careful with that information so it wouldn’t take much to make the policy official.

“Well, now the experiment is done, should we do a transfer while we’re here?” Dee asked, feeling anxious to make sure Lory had enough power to last her for generations. Since they’d started doing regular collections, Dee had learned to tolerate the transfer of larger amounts of magic at a time. As time wore on, she’d managed to fill an average of a bottle a week. They had enough power for over a millennium saved up already; but would it be enough?

“Sure, why not? I’ll stay here and supervise; I imagine you want to go and get started on researching things?” Mad looked over to his sister who nodded eagerly. Noir snapped his fingers and a partially filled potion bottle appeared in his hand, he held it out to Lory who took it with a smile. With that, everyone filed out of the glade except Lory, Dee and Mad. “Ok, ladies, start whenever you’re ready!” 

He declared as he sat down to observe the transfer. Dee nodded and took Lory’s hand and allowed the magic to be drawn out of her ‘Heart’, privately deciding she was going to fill the rest of that bottle today. At 200 cubic centimetres, it was more than she was normally comfortable transferring in one session but every little bit she could give counted, now more than ever.

“It can’t be a coincidence.” Dee finally broke the pensive silence they’d fallen into. “Last year when Noir was looking for a woman to frame for breaking one of Ruber’s stolen ‘Hearts’, was it just a happy accident that he picked the one person who would eventually be able to save Wonderland from the distortions without sacrificing her own life? Or was it some kind of fate that guided his choice?”

“Who knows? As today has shown, there’s still so much we don’t understand. A year ago, you would have said your reality was the only one in existence. Six months ago, Mad would have said the idea there was a single entity as the personification of Wonderland was ludicrous.” Lory shrugged a little, checking the bottle and watching as the magic trickled inside. “Today, we found out that you are even more special than we already thought you were.”

“I think we should start investigating other possible sources of energy, only having one acceptable method is too risky and precarious for my liking, I’ll have a word with Opera.” Mad commented with a worried frown, his demeanour serious and mature for once. Perfectly understandable considering the subject matter affected every living being in Wonderland. Dee was feeling tired around her eyes, usually a sure sign that she had exceeded her limits but she pushed herself to tolerate the discomfort for a bit longer.

“Annnnd that’s another bottle filled.” Mad declared as he put the cork into the neck, he wrote the bottle number on a small label and stowed it away safely. He offered his hand to Dee. “Well done! Here, let me help you up.” Dee accepted the help and took the outstretched hand but when she got to her feet, her head spun dramatically and she promptly passed out. She would have collapsed to the ground if Mad hadn’t caught her.

“Dee? Dee! Wake up!” Mad gently lowered her to the grass, Lory manoeuvring herself so Dee’s head was resting in her lap… that was until she realised Dee wasn’t able to prevent the energy transfer so Lory took off her sash and folded it up, placing that under Dee’s head instead. It was then that Mad noticed that Dee was bleeding slightly from her ears. “Oh no! She didn’t stop when she got tired and I didn’t notice… Ash is going to _murder_ me.” Mad winced as he pulled out his phone.

:: Ash, come to the glade. Dee passed out after doing a power transfer. ::

:: What the hell?! Is she ok? :: Joker was the first one in with a reply. :: I thought she was able to control it now? ::

:: She can. She pushed herself past her limits. :: Mad was typing with one hand while he checked on Dee’s pulse with the other. :: Apart from being unconscious, she’s fine. ::

:: I thought you were there to monitor things to stop her from doing that? :: Mad grit his teeth together, wondering for the millionth time why they’d let Cardia into their chat group.

:: She hid it from me, but I should have realised that she’d feel pressured after the test with Emma failed. We all know what she’s like. :: As much as Mad didn’t want to admit it, Cardia was right, he should have anticipated this and saved Dee from herself, it wouldn’t have been the first time.

:: I’ll be right there. :: Ash’s clipped message wasted no words and Mad put his phone on silent and put it away, turning his attention back to Dee, thankfully the bleeding from her ears had slowed to a stop already.

Fifteen minutes later and Lory glanced upwards, removing the illusionary trees to open the way into the glade. Ash swept in and rushed to Dee’s side, falling to his knees. He frowned at seeing the dried blood in her ears and how pale she looked. Ash threw Mad a look that clearly said _‘Explain.’_ Mad swallowed under the fierce gaze before he spoke.

“The test failed, it was only life energy that Lory could get from Emma, Ruber asked Dee about her father’s ancestry then Dee offered to do a transfer.” Mad glanced down as Dee started to come around finally, Ash had cupped her cheek with his hand, his thumb stroking her face. “I should have realised well before she finished the bottle, it was too much for one session.”

Dee opened her eyes with a groan, immediately squinting against the sunlight. Her head was pounding and it took a moment for her to remember what had happened. It wasn’t until her sight stopped blurring that she realised she had three faces staring down at her. Ash and Lory looked concerned and relieved, Mad, however was livid.

“I can’t believe you thought you could transfer almost half of your ‘Heart’ capacity in one sitting!” Mad’s green eyes flashed angrily as Dee started to sit up gingerly, Ash putting a steadying arm around her waist. “And don’t get me started on the fact you _hid_ the fact you were tired from me.”

“Believe it or not, passing out was not my aim.” Dee stated, cringing in disgust as Ash used his scarf to clean the blood from her ears. “I wanted to finish that bottle so we’d have another fifty years stored away in the bank.” She lent her head against Ash’s, completely exhausted.

“You can’t keep doing this to yourself, babe.” Ash chided her, surprised at how calm he was. When he’d been walking over, he had every intention of demanding that Dee stop doing the transfers completely. Now that his head was clearer, he realised he couldn’t ask her to stop. Dee wanted to help everyone; her nature wouldn’t allow her to do anything else.

“Ash is right, I refuse to allow you to martyr yourself. You need to work with us, tell us if you want to try and stretch yourself and be completely honest about how you are feeling.” Mad was in full lecture mode, Dee found her head swimming as she tried to focus on what he was saying. “If you pull something like this again then you’re banned from doing any transfers for a fortnight.”

“What?!” _That_ got Dee’s attention. “You can’t do that! I could fill two bottles in that time, that’s a century longer that Wonderland could go for!” She hissed at him but Mad just folded his arms over his chest in triumph.

“Well, that just gives you more of an incentive to take care of yourself, doesn’t it?” Mad hid a small smirk as Ash nodded at him discretely and Lory smiled with implicit approval.


	6. Chapter Six

Dee sank further into the soft cushions of the reading chair as she drew up her legs under her, she was in the library at Chalk Castle. In her lap she had a large reference book on the different cultures of the main modern races in Wonderland. She’d originally wanted to find out about party games but became absorbed and fascinated as she lost herself between the pages.

Dee had just reached a chapter on engagement and wedding traditions. The traditional way to propose in the Lizard Clan was for a hunter to take a tusk or tooth from an animal they’ve killed and carve a design or story into it. Once this was done, they’d present the scrimshawed ivory to their intended. The hunter culture fed into the ceremonies too as they were only held after a successful harvest festival and the groom had to demonstrate his archery skill by shooting an apple from his bride’s hand at a distance.

The Cats had lost a lot of their ancient culture after years of international isolation and war but a symbolic silver bell remained the accepted way to ask for someone’s hand. The wedding ceremony itself seemed to be pretty generic except for the fact the bride and groom would be subject to a drinking contest and whoever won became the acknowledged head of the household.

Dee chuckled to herself at the thought that Cat traditions wouldn’t seem amiss at a stereotypical Irish wedding. She turned the page to read the section on Protea and rolled her eyes, of course Proteans proposed with a bouquet of thirteen red roses, one for each card in a suit. 

The wedding itself typically involved the couple’s relatives scattering rose petals everywhere as the bride and groom walked among them. Also, instead of exchanging rings, they hung garlands of flowers around their necks as they pledged themselves to each other. The flowers selected all had different meanings depending on what the newlyweds wanted from married life.

Her stomach gave a nervous twist of anticipation as the chapter moved on to the Mouse traditions. The path from engagement to matrimony looked to be a multi staged process. Being a warrior culture, a proposal was offered by the presentation of a custom made weapon, if it was accepted then it was on to the second stage. 

The parties then each nominated someone close to them to be their brother (or sister)-in-arms. At the engagement ceremony, the groom’s comrade sparred with the bride-to-be and vice versa to assess their worth. If they approved of the match, then the wedding could be planned. During which they swore their swords to each other before swapping them for the rest of the ceremony, Dee giggled at the thought of her trying to carry Ash’s greatsword around.

“What are you reading that’s got you so amused?” Sakuto’s voice next to her startled Dee so badly that she shouted out an undignified ‘EEP!’ and jumped so much that the book clattered from her lap to the floor. Sakuto tried not to laugh but he didn’t quite succeed as he lent down to pick up the textbook, looking at the open page. “I’m sorry I scared you, I didn’t realise you were so engrossed in reading about… wedding ceremonies? Dee, are you and Ash…?” His question trailed off.

“No no! Geez, Sakuto, we’ve only been together for nearly six months, that’s way too soon to be marrying someone.” Dee rushed to disabuse him of the mistaken notion. “I was reading up on the cultural differences and you just happened to catch me on the Mice one, no ulterior motive, I swear.” Sakuto chuckled with a smile.

“Oh, I see, though honestly I don’t think six months would be too short if you were in love but that’s just me. Did you reach the Rabbit traditions yet?” Sakuto sat himself down on the chair next to Dee as she shook her head. “To signify a proposal, we give watches to one another. Most families will have antique heirlooms that are used to propose again and again as they get passed down to the younger generation when they come of age.”

“At the wedding ceremony there’s a ritualistic giving of three gifts. A key to represent home, a book for knowledge and a watch chain for family ties and strength. By giving those things, it’s hoped that the marriage will be filled with happiness and joy.” Sakuto loved how completely enrapt Dee was, she was like a bottomless well, always wanting to know more about Wonderland. “You’ll find that most weddings today tend to incorporate different elements from all the cultures in a bit of a mishmash, especially if the parties are from different countries.”

“Yes, multi-cultural weddings are quite common in my world now too. Funniest tradition I know is at Italian weddings, the groom’s tie is cut into pieces and sold to the guests to raise money for the honeymoon. The smashing of plates is a common theme the world over to ward off evil spirits, I hate the sound of breaking crockery though, that would be my nightmare wedding.” Dee closed the book over carefully, checking the edges of the cover for damage.

“Yes, random destruction doesn’t do anything for me either.” Sakuto watched as Dee stood up and put the book back on the shelf. “Are you doing anything right now? I was just grabbing some treatises and heading for Dark Castle for a diplomatic meeting with Noir and Ruber. Would you care to join me?” He offered.

“Sure! I’d love to go see them. How are we getting there? Pegasus again?” Dee asked as she followed Sakuto to one of the archive rooms off the side of the library. Sakuto pulled open a drawer and quickly flicked through and pulled out two thick files.

“Yes, he doesn’t mind and it’s certainly quicker than anything except teleportation.” Sakuto put the files into a satchel to protect them and threw it over his shoulder. After letting the head butler know that he was leaving, the pair of them left Chalk Castle where Sakuto summoned the Pegasus with his silver whistle. 

Dee mounted the steed behind her friend, a lot less nervous than the first time she rode on Pegasus. She’d barely been able to open her eyes and had left fingernail marks in poor Sakuto’s forearm in her terror. Siam met them at the castle doors when they arrived where he bowed low.

“White King Sakuto, I’m purrrleased that you’ve arrived safely and it’s always a pleasure to see you, Miss Dee! Follow me this way.” The Cat Knight led them to a meeting room where Noir, Ruber and Cardia were waiting for them. When Siam had left, Noir silently leant across the table and flicked Dee in the forehead hard.

“That’s for yesterday, and for the record, I’m fully behind Mad’s plan to make you behave yourself in future.” He told her sternly as Dee rubbed her forehead with a sulky look but she wisely kept her mouth shut, knowing she didn’t have a leg to stand on. “Sakuto, we were just discussing the progress being made towards the joint economic strategy.”

“Yes, Protea is currently well poised to absorb any regression in the economic output as a result of initial syncing issues.” Ruber rolled her pen in her fingers. “However, Gentiana’s growth has been lack lustre again, putting the timetable in jeopardy.”

“Right, the income of the average workers has increased substantially but most are sitting on the surplus instead of spending it back into the circulatory money pool.” Noir rubbed his forehead in an annoyed manner. “This is holding back any real feeling that the quality of life has improved under my leadership and The Black Wave are currently using that fact to batter me in the eyes of the citizens.”

“They are currently blanketing all the towns and villages with leaflets about how I spend more time on ‘secretive’ research than ruling and that the only ‘success’ of my reign thus far has been the restoration of Santorina.” Noir pushed a slightly scrunched up piece of paper across the table. Dee glanced at it long enough to read The Black Wave’s mission statement of restoring the pride of Gentiana by withdrawing backing for Santorina and cutting off diplomatic ties with other nations.

“Does it seem like they have any popular support?” Sakuto asked with a frown as he took the leaflet and turned it over in his hand to check the back for any clues. Printing manifestos and posters suggested a level of organisation and backing that hadn’t presented itself before now.

“Not massively, no, just disaffected young ‘patriots’ mostly but they’ve access to a printing press so someone with means is bankrolling them which is worrying. Plus, I have to be extra careful about any actions I take so as not to inadvertently fuel their propaganda machine.” Noir snapped his fingers and one of his many notebooks appeared. “I’ve narrowed down their base of operations to either Ebonia village or the port town of Sable. I still think I could nip this in the bud if I could just locate the ringleaders.”

“Maybe you should take a step back from Project Ouroboros for a while to focus on these domestic issues? Leave the others to work out why I’m a magical power source and look into my ancestry.” Dee offered with a shrug of her shoulders. “You could undermine some of the criticism by appearing more ‘present’.” Whatever Noir was about to say was interrupted by a knocking on the door, Maryanne coming into the room when called.

“My King, these have just appeared in Midnight Town and presumably elsewhere.” She bowed and spoke in her normal monotone, handing another leaflet over. The headline declaring ‘Do you want to be ruled by a man capable of patricide?’ in clear black lettering. Cardia cursed colourfully while Ruber pressed her lips into a thin line.

“You have a security leak.” She stated coolly. After Noir had ascended the throne, it was decided to keep the fact that Noir killed the previous Black King himself from the general public. It had been a delicate time so all the knights who were a part of that battle in the throne room were sworn to secrecy and so far, they had loyally kept their peace. Until now.

Noir looked like he wanted to tear his hair out and scream in frustration. He very nearly screwed the flyer up in his hand but managed to stop himself with a herculean effort. Noir placed it back on the table and addressed Maryanne in a stiff and formal tone.

“Summon all the knights to the throne room immediately, I need to speak with them.” The former assassin nodded and left the room to carry out her orders. When the door had shut, Noir covered his face with his hands in despair. 

His father’s death had become unavoidable and necessary the moment he’d confirmed that he wouldn’t be reasoned with, Noir knew this. But that didn’t stop him feeling guilty at times… and if that’s how he felt, knowing all the facts and options, what was an uninformed citizen likely to think of Noir spilling his father’s blood and ascending the throne? Sakuto put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it in support.

“Now it’s out there, you’re going to have to address it. Tell your subjects what happened and why and try to contain the fallout.” Sakuto suggested wisely. Noir groaned but let his hands fall.

“Yeah, I know, it’s the only way now. But first, I need to talk to the knights and figure out who the leak is. I’m sorry but I’m gonna have to cut this short. I’ll talk to you both later if I find out anything new.” Noir got to his feet, snatching up the latest leaflet and walking briskly out the room. After a few moments of silence, Ruber spoke.

“Sakuto, I think it would be prudent if we prepare for the possibility of civil war erupting in Gentiana. I hope it doesn’t come to it but it would be foolish to ignore what’s building.” Sakuto looked grim but nodded his agreement. Dee shivered as a sense of foreboding settled at the base of her spine.


	7. Chapter Seven

Dee rubbed the back of her neck, feeling the tight muscles complaining under her fingers. She was sitting on the floor in her living room, her laptop on the coffee table in front of her as she trawled through genealogical records to trace her ancestry. At least she wasn’t alone in her discomfort, Ruber was sitting in the armchair with her tablet, looking into emigration records to try and trace when Dee’s Mediterranean ancestors left the continent.

Ash and Mad were on the couch with several boxes of Alchemillan records trying to find any other anomalies with ‘Hearts’ and their magic. Lady Sonata’s research notes covered a great many topics and she theorised on the things that she couldn’t test for directly. Joker and Bill were looking at microfilm at the local library, researching modern ‘miracles’ for anything that hinted at magical phenomena as an explanation.

“Dear God, I need a break, the word ‘related’ is beginning to lose all meaning and not look like a real word anymore.” Dee pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes with a groan before she got to her feet and walked into the kitchen. “I’m getting a drink, anyone want one?” Ash raised his hand but Mad summoned a tea set for him and Ruber instead.

“Anyone found anything of substance?” Dee asked as she came back into the sitting room, handing Ash a bottle of cola. She sat down on the floor in front of where he was on the couch, fitting neatly into the space between his knees as he rested his elbows on her shoulders. “I found out that I’m related to a surprising number of notable musicians and doctors on Dad’s side. Mum’s side has more business people and politicians.”

“It looks like your family’s wealth came from the shipping industry initially, the route between Crete and Greece was a very lucrative route. Around seven generations back, the family tree branched out. One limb stayed based in Greece and carried on in shipping. The other one, your branch, moved here and was involved in the electrical revolution, making another fortune when the uptake of electrical devices gained momentum.” Ruber sipped at her tea as she summarised her findings, it was fascinating stuff but it didn’t shed light on why Dee’s father had a ‘Heart’.

“Lady Sonata did spend some time theorising on why ‘Hearts’ exist in this world even though magic is considered fantasy.” Mad waved his cane for some small cakes and sandwiches to appear. “She believed that magic must have been used in the ancient cultures before it was likely banned or sealed for some reason. If she’d been allowed access to the Other World, she would have kicked off her research by focusing on myths and legends.”

“Hmm, it’s often said there’s a grain of truth in those stories.” Dee murmured thoughtfully as she picked up a muffin. “We should look into Greek and Roman legends then, I’ll text Sakuto and get him to do it. He loved that traditional Celtic storybook I bought him.” Dee grabbed her phone and sent off the message. The front door opened as she put her phone back on the table.

“Hey! You’ll never guess all the cool things we read about in the library!” Bill declared as he walked in, heading straight for the kitchen. He opened the fridge and grabbed some of last night’s dinner leftovers that Dee _had_ been planning to reheat for her lunch, but never mind. Joker followed him and put his helmet down on the counter as he removed his gloves before unzipping his leathers.

“Yeah, there was this thing called ‘Spontaneous Human Combustion’ that we think could be evidence of fire magic. Then there’s people using super strength to lift cars when someone they love are trapped under them. Secret societies like the Freemasons, the Illuminati and reptile people!” Joker tossed a notepad over to Dee while Bill dug out two forks and handed one to his research partner as the leftovers spun in the microwave.

“Please tell me you didn’t just spend two hours in the library looking up conspiracy theories?” Dee groaned as she flicked open the notebook and started trying to translate the scribbles that Joker called handwriting. “…But then again, we probably need to suspend our disbelief if we’re going to find what we are looking for.”

“We also looked at ‘modern witchcraft’ too.” Bill pulled the food out when the microwave beeped, putting the tub on the counter between him and Joker. “Most of it is little more than herbal remedies, and while some of the rituals do look similar to spells from Wonderland, they don’t actually do anything.”

“Unsurprising really, if they did then magic here would be fact, not fiction.” Ruber twirled her sceptre in her fingers absently as she thought before she suddenly stopped and stared at it in her hands. “Magical power generally needs to be channelled through some sort of conduit, take my sceptre or Mad’s cane for instance. We should look into Dee’s family heirlooms, there might be an amulet or something among them.”

“Good luck with that.” Dee cringed a little in embarrassment. “Sure, there were loads of old Greek things in the house when I was growing up but I have no idea what happened to it all after the car accident. I spent four weeks in hospital and went straight into a foster home after that. I think the executors of my parents’ estate sold everything, but I’m not sure.” She winced a little, phantom pains from old memories surfacing.

“I’ll have to talk to the lawyers, ugh, such fun!” Dee groaned and let her head flop back dramatically. Ash gave her a sympathetic smile and ruffled her hair affectionately. “I suppose if I combine it with a visit to Mrs Underwood then that should make it a little more fun.”

“I’m coming with you this time! I haven’t met her yet and I’ve been dying to see the place where you grew up!” Joker declared insistently. Dee had made a handful of trips back to her home village with various others in tow but Joker hadn’t been able to make any of them. He worked part time in a warehouse to pay for the upkeep of his beloved motorcycle, not willing to accept Ruber’s charity for that purpose.

“Sure, no problem, send me your shift schedule for the next couple of weeks and I’ll set up an appointment with the family lawyers on a day that you’re free.” Dee agreed as she got to her knees to pull her laptop over, making sure she had the contact details of the solicitors in charge of the trust fund her parents left her. As she did so, Ruber’s phone started to ring.

“It’s Cardia, I told him not to call me unless it was important.” She said as she swiped the call to answer it on speakerphone. “What’s up?” At first there was no reply, no discernible sounds at all, and Ruber was about to speak again when Cardia whispered urgently.

“Shush, your Majesty, I think I have a lead on The Black Wave. I’ve been tracking some suspicious Gentians from Ebonia; they’ve stopped for a break and you need to hear this.” There was silence again as Cardia crept closer to his targets, a background murmur gradually increased in volume until it was audible.

“… is it? What actually is Ouroboros for? What is that bastard researching and why?” The voice was rough and coarse as if the owner had spent his life gargling broken glass. Mad’s eyebrows jumped and had almost disappeared into his hairline as he shared an uncomfortable look with Ash.

“Our man on the inside doesn’t know for certain but it’s got something to do with those weird events six months ago… that, and that damned ‘ _Alice’_.” Dee bit her lip hard to keep from gasping, she hadn’t been called that in a long time. It had been even longer still since that level of malice had been directed towards her. “I don’t believe that crap that she saved Wonderland; it honestly wouldn’t surprise me if she hasn’t bewitched all the leaders somehow with her filthy ‘Alice’ ‘Heart’.” 

Ash’s hand found her shoulder and he squeezed it reassuringly, Dee covered his hand with hers. Joker and Bill were wearing matching looks of anger, it looked like The Black Wave threat was intensifying and becoming personal. The traitor in Dark Castle just made everything more dangerous.

These men knew far too much for Ruber’s liking, who knew what else this mole had told them? She counted five distinct voices when the group laughed after one of the militants made a very crude joke at Dee’s expense. A barely heard growl was the only sound Cardia made apart from his careful breathing.

“Recruitment’s up after we told everyone that bastard killed our last proper king.” The first one commented again. For the past few days, Noir had been on a tour of the major settlements in Gentiana to explain everything to his citizens. He started from when he left Gentiana after the fall of Santorina and took up his Cheshire Cat alias right through to Dee’s kidnapping and his father’s final defiance.

Those subjects that agreed with Noir that Gentiana was better off being at peace accepted his explanation easier than the ones that still longed for the glory of the war. Meanwhile, Noir had been unable to discover who had leaked that information to the militants, nor where they were getting their financial backing from and access to printing facilities.

“Yeah, it won’t be long before the boss makes his next move. I – Hey! Did any of you hear that?” Cardia’s breathing changed minutely as his presence was noticed. There was a moment of tense silence before a cacophony of noise erupted from Ruber’s phone. Cardia cursed and Bill recognised the sound of his sword being drawn from his scabbard.

Dee clutched the edge of the coffee table so hard that her knuckles turned white, they could hear the clashing of swords and the din of too many voices at once. There was a dull thud and the sound of booted feet repeatedly hitting something, Joker gritted his teeth as he heard Cardia groan, he’d been overpowered by the superior numbers. 

“Good work lads, the Red Bitch’s lap dog is quite a scalp. Tie him up and bring him with us then we can prepare a proper welcome for when his friends come looking for him.” That was the last thing they heard before there was a crunch and the call cut off abruptly. Joker jumped to his feet with a curse, kicking the stool he’d been sitting on across the room.

“Save that energy for the rescue, Joker.” Mad snapped as he looked to Ruber. “Do we go now as we are or do we get the others? Your call, your Majesty.” Dee found her hands were shaking so she gripped the talon around her neck, letting the warmth it emitted comfort her slightly.

“We’ll need time to arm ourselves, track where they’ve taken Cardia and come up with a plan. We can summon the others in that time, it seems foolish to go into a situation like this with anything less than our full strength.” In the time since her trial, Dee had been pleased to realise that Noir had been right about his childhood friend, she was a warm and passionate person when you got to know her. However, right now, she looked every inch of the ruthless mage that she’d previously been feared to be.

“Already on it, we’ll get everyone to meet at Santorina, it’ll be safer than Dark Castle at the moment with the leak.” Ash had his phone out; messages being sent using the minimum amount of words possible. “Dee’s totem is upstairs. Instead of wasting power on a direct gate, we can all hang on to her to hitch a lift back to Wonderland.”

“Brilliant idea!” Dee exclaimed in surprise and delight as she ran up her stairs and snatched the hand mirror from her chest of drawers where she’d left it. She jumped down the steps in threes, adrenaline pumping, wanting to find Cardia yesterday. Dee took a deep breath to calm herself for the crossover as everyone took a hold of her. When Ruber nodded at Dee, she closed her eyes, ready to run to the rescue.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: Violence.

Cardia was still cursing the fact he’d been captured; he’d forgotten how sensitive Cat hearing could be. He should have been more careful but hearing them talking about things they _shouldn’t_ have known about was hard, what was even harder was listening to them mock a woman who had been completely prepared to die to save the world and everyone in it, including their miserable ungrateful lives. 

He must have given away his position as he tried to restrain his impulse to introduce them to the sharp edge of his longsword. When the scuffle had broken out, he’d initially held his own, his opponents apparently lacking formal military training. Then one of them managed to grab him by his cape and tugged him backwards. He’d fallen to the ground and he’d taken a number of hard kicks to his head before he could recover, they’d taken his sword and tied him up before his head had cleared again. His injuries were relatively minor though, mostly just scrapes and bruises.

Cardia glared at the back of one of his captors’ heads as he gingerly probed at the cloth gag in his mouth with his tongue. He was trying to loosen it surreptitiously because he knew Ruber and the others would be coming for him, and he knew they were walking straight into a trap. The militants had taken him to an old church tower, ruined and decayed in a village abandoned after flooding from a burst river destroyed most of the buildings almost a decade ago.

Cardia and two of the men were high in the belfry, they had tied a rope around Cardia’s neck, affixing it to the crossbar that held the main bell to ‘dissuade’ him from trying to make a break for it. The plan seemed to be to wait until the group was directly underneath the tower, then ring the bell to signal to the others to slam down the portcullis around them on all sides.

Being trapped in such a small area like that had a lot of tactical disadvantages. It would limit the options that the magicians would have, for a start. They wouldn’t be able to go big on their spells at the risk of catching the others with friendly fire. Cardia was desperately trying to come up with a plan, his gag was too well tied to come loose but perhaps he could ring the bell somehow to set off the trap prematurely?

After they’d subdued and tied him up, the group that he’d been tracking had sent off a message for reinforcements, and unfortunately, they had managed to arrive first. Cardia had no idea how many enemies they faced now. If the Black Wave had a decent mage, they could also disguise their numbers to lead Mad’s tracking magic astray, he could only hope they wouldn’t think to obscure the sorts of physical traces that Bill would know how to look for.

The militants had tied his wrists together in front of him and he flexed his fingers carefully, if he could just get his hands free then he could throw something at the bell. His bonds were tight though, tied with sailors’ knots if he had to guess. Cardia mentally cursed, he knew he was running out of time, it wouldn’t have taken very long for the Queen to get everyone together and make preparations to mount a rescue attempt.

Cardia’s heart stuttered at the sound of a low whistle, one of the scouts had spotted something or someone approaching. A cold sweat crept down his back, he _could not_ allow Ruber and the others to be caught by the portcullis cage. Cardia was out of ideas, there was only one option left open to him now. He didn’t even need to think twice about it, the path was clear. 

Very slowly, so as not to alert the two archers knelt slightly in front of him, Cardia shifted his legs until his feet were under him, thankfully the militants hadn’t tied his ankles together. His muscles were coiled like a clock spring as he crouched, he wouldn’t move until the last possible moment. No doubt Ash would be leading the vanguard from the front, he’d wait until he saw the light glinting off of his greatsword in the knave.

Then Cardia would jump at the bell, ringing it loud and clear in warning, signalling the militants early, saving his friends… and probably hanging himself in the process.

As they had approached the village, they had kept their eyes peeled. The Black Wave were expecting them so they’d seen little point in trying too hard to disguise their approach. Bill had been scouting ahead, moving under the cover of the trees but he dropped back to the ground in front of them.

“There’s a lot of fresh tracks, I’d say there’s got to be at least ten of them, if not more. I didn’t go too far but the church is the only building big and stable enough to hold that many people around here.” Bill gave his report and Mad nodded, waving his cane to cast a tracking spell to sense how many people were in the area and where. Suddenly, he smirked humourlessly with a tsk of disdain.

“Oh please, that cloaking spell wouldn’t fool a novice.” He muttered darkly with a disbelieving shake of his head. “Bill’s right, they are in the church. There’s twelve men and one mage, spread out and probably waiting to ambush us. Cardia’s in there too.” Even though they were outnumbered, as a group they included some of the best fighters and magicians in Wonderland, which gave them a definite advantage. The main risk came from any traps laid or if the militants leveraged Cardia’s life as a hostage.

“Alright, we approach the church from the front. Blades around the edge with mages in the centre. Ash, up front. Joker watch the rear. Dee on the right. Sakuto, the left. Bill to offer arrow cover as needed.” Noir had knelt down and grabbed a stick where he drew a rough outline of the church. 

“We move carefully, first through the front antechamber then we’ll travel down towards the altar, keeping to the knave, the central aisle. We need to make sure we have eyes in all directions at the same time to try and limit the element of surprise when they launch their ambush.” Noir was their best strategist, so everyone nodded in agreement when he finished laying out the plan.

They got into formation; weapons drawn as they approached the church carefully. The interior was dark, lit sporadically by sunlight through stained glass windows caked with years of dust and grime. The atmosphere only grew more tense as they advanced slowly down the aisle, Dee’s gaze flicking back and forth as she checked the shadows for any signs of life. Even straining her ears, the only thing she could hear was their own hushed footsteps.

The clang from the old church bell was as deafening as it was unexpected. The group immediately split in half and dove for cover among the pews. Dee peeked out cautiously as the echo carried on vibrating through the crumbling stonework walls around them, the ringing persisting in her ears. She saw the portcullis come down a split second before she recognised Cardia’s body falling. But instead of hitting the ground, he pulled up short, dangling from the rope. He swung violently from the momentum while his legs scrambled around uselessly for the ground that he couldn’t quite reach.

“Cardia!” Dee’s brain whited out and she didn’t think, she just ran. Joker cursed and tried to grab her but he wasn’t fast enough. As she slammed full force into the bars, she heard shouts and the clashing of swords as the militants came out of the woodwork. When she realised that she couldn’t squeeze through the gaps, Dee sheathed her knife and started trying to lift the portcullis up, even just by a few centimetres so she could slip underneath it. But it was made out of wrought iron and it felt like the ratchet wheel had been locked in place.

“Somebody! Somebody please! I can’t get to him! Help me!” Dee cried out, but from the sounds of it, her friends all had their hands full in repelling the attack. At least two of The Black Wave had an elevated position and they were raining arrows down on them. Out of the corner of her eye, Dee saw that Opera’s attention was focused on blasting the projectiles before they harmed anyone. When Dee’s gaze turned back to Cardia, she realised with horror that his struggling had ceased. 

“No! NO!” Dee shrieked, hearing a loud bang close to her head, she fell forward as the bar she was pressing against finally gave way. Dee scrabbled through the gap, drawing her stiletto again as she sprinted to Cardia’s side. She wrapped one arm around his legs, trying to support his weight on her shoulder while she attempted to cut him down with the other. Three arrows struck the rope in quick succession, severing it in half. Dee was knocked to the floor by Cardia’s full weight unexpectedly falling on top of her.

“Come on, come on, come on.” Dee chanted in a mantra as she got Cardia on his back, removing the noose and the gag. She leant her ear close to his nose and mouth and tears pricked her eyes. “He’s not breathing!” She shouted as she used her dagger to slice through the leather straps holding his breastplate together, tossing it aside with a clang so she could start CPR.

Dee heard boots on the stones behind her and knew instinctively that it wasn’t a friendly, but nothing in Wonderland could tear her attention away from performing chest compressions and rescue breaths. A flurry of lighter steps preceded a strangled cry of shock and pain followed by the thud of a body hitting the ground.

“Keep going, Dee, I’ll cover you.” Noir was behind her, claws out and standing guard as Dee worked desperately on Cardia. Her arm muscles screamed, the skin on her lips had split and she was certain she’d broken at least a few of Cardia’s ribs but she couldn’t stop. Dee didn’t know how many cycles she’d performed, she just kept counting to thirty, breaking off for two rescue breaths before starting compressions again.

The sounds of the battle faded away, or had it stopped entirely? Dee didn’t know and didn’t look up to check either, her world had narrowed to nothing but the task in front of her. Eventually, Mad appeared in her field of vision and knelt down on the dusty floor on the other side of Cardia, he took the soldier’s wrist in his hand for a moment before Mad closed his eyes and shook his head sadly. 

“Dee… It’s over. I’m… I’m so sorry. You need to stop. I know you tried…” Mad’s voice broke as he attempted to put his hands over hers to still them. He took a shaking inhale before he spoke again. “You tried _so_ _hard_ , but-”

“No.” Dee squeezed the word out along with a harsh wheezing breath as she realised that she’d lost her count. She threw Mad’s hands off as she tried to start again. “He has to be ok! _He_ _has_ _to!_ I can’t stop now! He has-” Arms wrapped around her from behind and bodily lifted her away, arms belonging to someone who knew the pain of losing comrades in battle all too well.

The tears came then; the salty tracks stinging when they reached her cracked lips. It hurt, her hands throbbed, her knees ached but _nothing_ came close to the pain in her chest. Dee watched as Ruber knelt next to the body of her most trusted guard and friend. She raised her shaking hand and gently closed his eyelids, leaning down to kiss him on the forehead, her lips moving as she whispered something to him before drawing back enough for Sakuto to cover Cardia silently with his cape.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warning: Panic Attacks.

The next few days seemed to simultaneously fly by and never ever end. Dee felt like she was underwater, she knew that she had helped with the preparations, but she wouldn’t have been able to tell anyone what she’d done exactly. She had just been going through the motions in a numb fog. It all felt surreal, Dee kept waiting for the moment when she’d wake up and find out that this was nothing but a figment of her imagination.

A huge pyre had been built in the centre of the courtyard of Crimson Castle, Cardia’s body was lain out in full dress armour, his sword resting on his chest. Around him were countless flowers and plants that symbolised the character of the man on the pyre; oak leaves and gladioli, thyme and edelweiss, red poppies and hyssop.

The mourners all stood around the central dais in a circle, everyone clutching a single long stemmed white rose. Dee purposefully let one of the thorns dig into the pad of her thumb, a confirmation that this wasn’t some terrible nightmare at all, that this was really happening. Ruber arrived at that point carrying her own flower, wearing an elegant red dress with full sleeves and skirts, no embellishments, supremely dignified in her grief.

“I’ve found myself attending and speaking at too many memorials in my life for my liking.” Ruber stood with her back straight, putting the rose down and letting her hands rest on the lectern in front of her. “In fact, I first met Cardia at a memorial, my mother’s. I was only young when she passed away and all through the ceremony, I’d had to keep a straight face. I wasn’t allowed to cry; I’d been told that the monarchy had to be seen to be above all that.” Dee wasn’t surprised to hear that; it seems the idea of ‘a stiff upper lip’ could transcend realities.

“It got to be too much for me so I jumped off the platform and ran, I couldn’t see where I was going and I ran headfirst into a boy a little older than me. It was Cardia, but before he became a soldier.” Ruber gave a watery smile as she recalled the memory. “He steadied me so I didn’t fall, took one look at my tear streaked face and pulled me behind some trees. I could hear my name being shouted by the Chamberlain, getting closer and closer.”

“Cardia put a finger to his lips and motioned for me to stay right there. Then he ran back out towards the crowds and shouted that I had headed towards the fountain.” Ruber chuckled a little with a sniff, pulling a red handkerchief from her sleeve but just holding it for now. “He has – had such an honest face that they believed him instantly and went the wrong way. Once they’d gone, he came back for me. He sat down with me as I cried, not saying anything but just being there.”

“Of course, by the time I’d calmed down, I felt stupidly embarrassed about the whole thing and ran away without even saying thank you to him.” Ruber’s face flushed as she made a small noise of self-reproach. “The next time I saw Cardia was when he’d been promoted as a rising star in the Castle guard. I recognised him, but he never mentioned the memorial so neither did I.”

“Until four months ago that is. I finally asked him why he’d hidden me away that day instead of handing me over to the Chamberlain?” Ruber’s tears finally broke free and she lifted her handkerchief to her eyes to gently dab them away. “Cardia said it was because I was crying, he’d seen me around Protea plenty of times before but he’d never once seen me in tears. So, he gave me the time and space I needed to feel my grief. Of course, then he added that it was also because he’d never liked the Chamberlain anyway.” That inspired a smattering of chuckles from listeners, Dee managed a weak smile, that sounded like Cardia.

“Cardia was always loyal to me from that first meeting… even when I was capricious and tyrannical in the extreme.” Ruber’s eyes were cast downwards briefly in embarrassment. “He was more than just a guard; he was an adviser, a confidante and a dear friend. He was brave, strong and he sacrificed his life to prevent me from falling prey to a trap. Protea and Wonderland as a whole is most certainly poorer for his loss.”

Ruber picked up her rose from the lectern and turned to the pyre. She laid the flower on Cardia’s chest and that was the signal for the other mourners to file up to the dais and do the same. Dee could feel her breathing getting tighter the closer she came to Cardia’s body, her wrists still hurt from her resuscitation attempts and they throbbed along with the beating of her heart. She couldn’t help the ‘what ifs’, what if she’d been able to cut him down sooner? What if she’d been stronger or faster?

Before she could answer those questions – if there even was an answer, that is, she was next to the pyre. Dee’s breath caught in her throat as she leaned over and placed her rose down carefully with the others, freezing when she laid eyes on his still and pale face. She should say ‘Thank you’, she should say ‘I’ll miss you’, she should say ‘Goodb-’ A sob tore from Dee’s throat and she swallowed it down as quickly as she could. She straightened up and walked from the platform as fast as she could without all out fleeing.

She was in a corridor lined with stone pillars when she finally stopped marching. Dee squeezed her eyes shut and clutched a hand to her chest, she realised with horror that she was hyperventilating. A panic attack, it had been years and years since she’d last had one. Dee tried to slow her breathing and steady her heartrate but her throat felt like it had closed up completely, black spots encroached on her vision and she knew she’d pass out sooner rather than later.

“Dee…” Suddenly Opera was there, standing in front of her. Her bright emerald eyes assessed the situation rapidly and she immediately moved behind Dee. Opera pulled Dee back against her torso and held her, one hand on her upper chest and the other splayed on her abdomen. “You’re alright, I have you. You need to breathe, Dee. Copy my breaths.” Opera’s voice was calm and soothing and Dee could feel her steadying exhales on the back of her neck.

“I can’t!” Dee protested automatically but she drew a stuttering breath through her nose all the same. Dee suddenly registered that she had her fists clenched so tightly that her fingernails were cutting into her palms so she made a conscious effort to loosen them as she exhaled shakily.

“Good. You’re doing brilliantly. Keep breathing with me. Imagine you are breathing into my hand.” Opera drummed her fingers against Dee’s stomach to indicate which hand she meant. It took a few minutes but Dee’s respiratory and heart rate eventually synced completely to Opera’s.

“Thank you…” Dee whispered, she felt emotionally wrung out and exhausted. Opera squeezed her for a moment before finally letting her go. Dee turned around to look at her, getting a whiff of smoke in her nostrils as she did so, they must have lit the pyre already.

“No problem. I used to have panic attacks when I was in my mid-teens and Mad would always hold me like that until it passed.” Opera’s eyes scanned Dee’s face to make sure that she was alright – well, as alright as could be expected in this hateful situation. “Come on, let’s go back now before we’re missed.” Opera wrapped a warm hand around Dee’s and led the way back to the courtyard.

The pyre was blazing well when they arrived, the flame was an unnatural bright red but whether that was because of the flowers or there was a magical cause, Dee didn’t know. She was just glad she couldn’t see Cardia’s body anymore; she didn’t think she could handle watching as the fire slowly consumed her friend.

Dee let her eyes scan the mourners, automatically picking out the faces of her friends. Ruber was stood at the front of the crowd, silent tears running down her face as she watched the flames. Sakuto was stood next to her, he didn’t have an arm around her but their bodies were touching from shoulder to hip. His expression was pained and full of regret, he’d known Cardia professionally for over a decade and respected him greatly even before they became personal friends.

Noir was on Ruber’s other side, his face was anguished and full of guilt. He blamed himself for Cardia’s death, no matter what anyone else told him. As far as he was concerned, Cardia had been tracking _Gentian_ militants in _Gentiana_ as a favour to the _Gentian_ monarch. Ergo, his death was Noir’s responsibility. They had captured a few Black Wave operatives alive during the battle and they were currently awaiting interrogation in the dungeons of Dark Castle.

Joker was stood in the shadows, his arms folded over his chest. It was impossible to see his face clearly at this distance and that was probably the point. Joker had precious few people that he called ‘friend’ and Cardia had been one of them. He briefly wished he’d stayed a loner, then he wouldn’t have had to deal with this sort of pain. But he shook his head and dismissed that thought, this _hurt_ , yes but he wouldn’t trade this last year of memories for anything.

When Dee spotted Mad, fresh tears welled up in her eyes. He was stood stock still, holding his hat in his hands in respect. Mad and Cardia had rubbed each other up the wrong way a lot of the time, but that was just because they were very different people. Mad wasn’t serious very often if he could help it and was much happier having a tea party than doing anything resembling real work. This meant he often butted heads with Cardia, who had to be dragged away from his duties, kicking and screaming at times.

But that said, they didn’t actually hate each other and neither wished harm on the other. Mad’s normally expressive face was solemn and only his shimmering eyes betrayed his thoughts. He kept running through the battle, seeing if he could have dealt with his opponents any faster so he could have reached Cardia before it was too late.

Dee jumped when Bill appeared in front of her, he didn’t say anything but he reached for her hands. That’s when she realised that she was clenching her fists again, he coaxed them open and frowned at the red half moons lining her palms. She let Bill rub and fuss over the marks, knowing that he felt better if he could focus his attention on someone else rather than being left alone with his own thoughts and feelings.

That was when Dee realised that she hadn’t seen Ash for some time, she scanned the mourners surrounding the pyre that was still going strong. She had a vague recollection of being told that it would burn brightly for around six hours before smouldering for another six. Dee frowned, he wasn’t in the crowd so she tugged her hands from Bill’s grip and turned away to look for him.

Dee headed towards the flower gardens, there were a few secluded places where someone would be able to slip away to escape notice if they wanted. As she picked her way through them, she became aware of the sound of crying, specifically the sound of _children_ crying. Dee lightened her steps even more and peered carefully around a trellis covered in golden roses. Ash was kneeling on the paving stones with Humpty and Dumpty in his arms, their faces buried in either side of his neck.

“We’re so sorry! We always made him chase after us!” Humpty hiccupped with a sob, his hands fisting tightly in Ash’s shirt. Dumpty’s tiny frame was shaking with inconsolable shudders.

“He’d get so cross, an-and we thought it was funny. He thought we hated him! But we di- we didn-” The boy was too upset to get even another syllable out. Ash shushed him gently, swaying in a rocking motion as he pressed a kiss to Dumpty’s temple.

“No, he knew that you liked him, no doubt about it… and he was never really cross with you, just frustrated at times. He cared about you both.” Ash reassured them in his gentle soothing voice. “Remember when he waded into the pond in the park to get your ball back? Or when he showed you the baby chicks at the zoo? He loved you kids, just like I do.”

Dee felt her heart clench up at the scene in front of her, feeling too many emotions at once to identify any one as stronger than the others. She drew back slowly before her presence was noticed, turning on her heels to walk away… and if she got lost in the hedge maze for a while where no one could see her cry, then that was quite alright.


	10. Chapter Ten

Noir stormed into his private chambers and threw himself down into the chair behind his desk before he immediately got back up and started to pace restlessly. Dee slipped through the door followed by Sakuto and Mad. They had just had an unsuccessful session interrogating the prisoners in the cells. For a few minutes the other three just watched as Noir did his best to wear a track in to the floor.

“Noir, you need to calm down.” Sakuto broke the silence finally, stepping into his friend’s path in an attempt to bring his manic movement to a stop but Noir simply changed direction to avoid a collision, but he found his desk in the way so he swept his arm through the papers littering the top to scatter them everywhere in frustration.

“Calm down?! A good soldier, _a good_ _man_ is dead because I have a terrorist group within my borders and a traitor in my castle! I will not rest until every member of The Black Wave is rotting beneath me, either in the dungeons or in the ground itself!” Noir scarcely took a breath during that impassioned rant, lifting his hand and running it through his hair in agitation.

“Noir, if you let your anger dictate your actions right now then you’ll be writing their next recruitment poster for them.” Mad’s voice held the maturity of being the eldest in the room, he planted the tip of his cane in the carpet in front of him, putting both hands on top of the grip. “We need to identify the spy as a matter of urgency, the prisoners haven’t given up the name, if they even know who it is, that is. So, we need another plan.”

“You must have some suspicions as to who it is, or at least a shortlist?” Dee asked Noir gently, feeling her phone buzz in her pocket again but she ignored it. She knelt down and started to pick up the papers on the floor, piling them up in to a neat stack.

“It has to be someone who has access to my study or lab. I don’t leave my research notes out in plain sight but a desk drawer lock could be picked easily enough.” Noir sank down on his chair and snapped his fingers. A piece of paper appeared in his hands and he held it out towards Mad. “These are who I suspect.” He took it and scanned through the names.

“I think we need to set a trap of our own. Create some false information, one distinct item for each person on this list and see which ends up in the public domain.” Mad found a quill on the desk and started writing next to the names. “Have you considered the possibility that there might be more than one leak? This should tell us that at the same time.”

“How will you make sure that the right rumour reaches the right suspect?” Dee asked as she tried to peer over his shoulder to see what he was writing. Her phone buzzed again, audible to Mad’s ears at this distance and he raised an eyebrow at her as if to say _‘Shouldn’t you get that?’_ Dee sighed and took a step back, obediently pulling her phone out of her pocket to check the unread messages.

:: Hey, are you ok? I’ve not heard from you all day. Or yesterday even. ::

:: I understand if you want some space to process things but don’t ignore me, I’m worried about you. Let me know that you’re alright. ::

:: I know you are hurting right now but please, don’t shut me out. ::

Dee sighed at Ash’s messages but she didn’t reply, switching her phone to silent and putting it away again. She caught Sakuto giving her a concerned look but she averted her gaze to see Noir writing something on a blank sheet of paper before Mad waved his cane and the words disappeared. Noir checked which false rumour he was meant to jot down this time and repeated the action.

“This piece of paper will have different words on it depending on which of our targets reads it and it’ll be blank to everyone else.” Mad explained as he spotted Dee watching. “We’ll leave it in the study drawer along with Noir’s other less sensitive research notes and wait to see what develops.” 

“I just hope we find out sooner rather than later.” Sakuto rubbed his eyes tiredly, he felt like he hadn’t stopped in days. First there was the memorial, then preparing Gardenia for the possibility of civil war in Gentiana _and_ supporting Ruber and Noir. “What are your plans going forward, Noir?”

“I’m going to release a declaration that membership of The Black Wave is illegal. Then offer a reward for information that leads to the location of their headquarters and/or the identification of the ringleaders and funders.” Noir took a calming breath and rubbed his chin in thought. “I imagine that will drive those concerned with ‘freedom of association’ into their ranks but it should make it harder for them to act as openly as they have been up to now.”

“Before Cardi- _Before_ Ruber couldn’t be seen to intervene overtly with The Black Wave issue without upsetting national sentiment. Now Protea has justification to help with hunting the militants. I don’t think my subjects would tolerate massive amounts of interference but I think as long as it’s Gentiana taking the lead with support from our allies then it should be ok.” Noir stood up from his chair and inserted the trapped sheet in to the stack that Dee had put back on the desk.

“I’ll just put these in my desk in the study, why don’t you all meet me out in the garden? I think we could all use a breather.” Noir suggested, getting a hum of agreement from the other three. As Dee followed Mad and Sakuto through the halls, she couldn’t help the feeling of anxiety and suspicion in her stomach every time she spotted a knight or a servant. It left her feeling unsettled and unable to relax, it wasn’t a nice feeling and she could only hope they’d have their answers soon.

When Noir re-joined them, they spent some time pointedly not talking about the important things. Not Cardia, not The Black Wave, not Dee’s power or the research. Instead, Dee told them about an upcoming cake decorating competition, not that she really felt like entering it. Sakuto talked about some restoration work he was having done on Chalk Castle and Mad rambled on and on about his latest search for rare tea leaves. It was an enforced bit of normality in decidedly abnormal times.

“Oh! …Noir, do I remember rightly that you said you had some interesting tea heirlooms that you wanted to show me?” Mad suddenly declared out loud, getting nothing but a blank look from Noir before his eyes darted to something behind Dee’s head and a look of understanding dawned on his face.

“Yes, yes I did! I’ll -I’ll show it to you right now in fact. Sakuto, you come along too!” Noir grabbed his puzzled friend by the arm and dragged him to standing. Dee was about to get up as well when Noir waved a hand at her. “No no, Dee! You stay here and and and… enjoy the sunshine!” He declared loudly after verbally floundering around for a reason, not a very good reason either considering it was cloudy. Dee watched with increasing confusion as her three companions pretty much fell over each other to get away.

“Well that could have been handled a lot more smoothly but I guess it did the job.” The voice and half chuckle that came from behind her made Dee stiffen up. Ash walked around the table and took a seat opposite her. “So, are you going to tell me why you’ve been completely ignoring me for the last two days?” Ash looked tired, he hadn’t been sleeping well since the church tower and whatever was going on with Dee wasn’t helping matters either.

“I…” Dee had a lot of things she’d been putting off talking about with him but she couldn’t think of what to say first, there was so many words that it all felt somewhat paralysing and it tied up her tongue. Ash gave her a couple of minutes to get started but eventually he sighed with a shake of his head.

“Look, I know better than anyone that you don’t like anyone to see you when you’re feeling weak but you don’t have to try and cope with Cardia’s death on your own. I’m here for you, I’ll always be here for you.” Ash reached across the table and attempted to take Dee’s hand in his but she gently tugged it away, folding her hands up in her lap under the table.

“Are you trying to punish yourself or something? Because you didn’t save him?” Ash was trying to make eye contact with Dee but she steadfastly refused to do so, choosing to fix her gaze on a point over Ash’s left shoulder. “Dee, you couldn’t have done anything more for him, there’s no reason for you to keep hurting yourself by pushing me away.”

“This isn’t to do with Cardia… at least not directly.” Dee finally found her voice again, she shifted uncomfortably in her seat, taking a deep breath. “There’s no easy way to say this so I’m just going to go ahead and get on with it. I want to split up, this is over for me.” Ash’s face drained of all colour and he had to remind himself to breathe.

“I d-don’t understand. What did I do wrong?” Ash asked with a trembling voice, again trying to get Dee to meet his eyes unsuccessfully. In a flash of rage, he smashed his clenched hand into the tabletop, rattling the crockery. “ _Look_ at me, god damnit! Tell me that you’re joking!” Dee jumped at the outburst but she finally met his eyes, there was a softness in them but also determination.

“You did nothing wrong, Ash, and no, this isn’t something I’d joke around about.” Dee lifted her cup and took a small swallow of tea and cleared her throat. “Cardia’s death made me realise I shouldn’t be spending my time on anything that I’m not that serious about. It’s selfish and not fair on you.” There was silence except for Ash’s increasingly erratic breathing.

“Not serious? What the fuck are you talking about, Dee? I _love_ you! …A-and I know you love me too, your ‘Heart’ turned red because you fell in love with me! The magic inside it keeps refilling because you love me!” Ash bit down hard on his lip, tears pricking at his eyes.

“I never said that I didn’t love you. But I don’t see myself spending the rest of my life with you so better to do this now than two or three years down the line when it’ll just hurt more.” Dee couldn’t bear the heartbroken look on Ash’s face for another moment so she looked down at her lap. “I’m sorry but I couldn’t keep being so selfish, not in good conscience.”

“I don’t know about hurt more in the future because it hurts pretty fucking badly right now.” The way Ash was sniffling undermined the sting of his acidic tone. But it didn’t last as he put voice to another desperate plea. “How do you know you don’t want to be with me for the long haul? We’ve only been together for a few months, no one ever thinks how far it can go at this stage.”

“I just know it, alright? Call it a gut feeling, I can’t explain it. I’m sorry for avoiding you and I’m sorry for the pain I’ve caused you but there isn’t anything else left to say.” Dee got to her feet, catching and steadying her chair before it tipped over. She turned and headed for the garden’s exit, walking stiffly and most definitely not looking back.


	11. Chapter Eleven

Dee shook her head as Dumpty slipped on the gravel again, she’d told both of them to slow down about twenty times already but they were excited. Today was the day that they were going to teach her how to ride a griffon and she was looking forward to the experience. But she did have an ulterior motive for choosing to spend her day with the twins rather than anyone else.

Ever since that horrible conversation at Dark Castle the other day, all her friends wanted to talk about with her was Ash. Dee knew they meant well but she’d made up her mind and she was _sick_ of rehashing the topic. What was done was done, Ash would be fine, given time to heal… and so would she. Dee remembered she wasn’t supposed to be thinking about that today and turned her concentration back to walking up the surprisingly steep mountain path.

“I didn’t realise your pet lived in such a hard to reach place. You two don’t trek up this trail every single time, do you?” Dee commented as she looked up towards the peak, it wasn’t nearly as tall as Garuda Point but still, it was plenty high enough for two nine year olds, regardless of how intrepid they were.

“Not every time.” Humpty huffed a little with the exertion. “We have a magic whistle that we normally use to call him but-”

“But Humpty had it in his back pocket, sat down and broke it in half.” Dumpty interrupted his brother and glared at him. Dee had to hide her smile; she really shouldn’t laugh but that was really _really_ funny. “Bill is mending it for us but it’s not ready yet, Opera needs to enchant it too.”

“So up the mountain we go!” Dee declared in a positive tone, she suddenly had a flashback to being in the Brownies when she was eight and her group leader always spoke in that sort of happy and encouraging voice. Even when Dee and her fellow Brownies were trying their hardest to drive her up the wall. Suddenly, the ground beneath her feet began to shake.

“An earthquake? Humpty, Dumpty! Stay still and close to the face of the mountain.” Dee shouted as she pressed herself flat against the stone. Thankfully the tremors stopped almost as soon as they’d started, Dee breathed a sigh of relief before she registered a terrifying crunching sound and her eyes shot upwards. 

“An avalanche! Get out the way!” Dee shouted but the twins seemed paralysed by the sight of rocks and a large boulder rolling towards them. “What are you doing?! RUN! … _Shit!_ ” Dee moved without thinking clearly, sprinting towards the boys and throwing herself over them in an attempt to protect them from the landslide. She braced herself for impact and waited.

But nothing happened... It was strange, Dee was pretty sure she hadn’t been hit with anything but her head and chest were beginning to hurt badly anyway. It took her a few moments to recognise the sensations, it was her crystal, her ‘Heart’ was doing something. Dee felt her limbs shaking, whatever she’d done, she wasn’t sure how long she could keep it up for.

“Humpty, Dumpty, are you ok? Can you move?” Dee asked in a shaking voice, she could feel liquid running down her face and tasted blood on her lips. Dumpty was completely pinned by Dee’s abdomen and pelvis but Humpty could probably wriggle himself free with a bit of effort. “Humpty, listen to me. This is very important. I need you to crawl out from under me and run and get help from someone, ok?”

“I can’t! The rocks will fall on me. I’m scared!” Humpty sniffled as he covered his eyes with his hands. Dee wished that she could reach out to him and hug him for reassurance but she didn’t dare move just in case… _whatever_ she was doing to protect them stopped working.

“Yes, you can, I know you can because you’re so brave. It’ll be alright, me and Dumpty will be ok, you just need to trust me.” Dee did her best to keep the tremble out of her voice as she encouraged him. Humpty uncovered his eyes and took a deep breath before he nodded with all the resolution he possessed. It was a tight squeeze but he managed to drag himself out from underneath Dee’s torso.

“Just hang on! I’ll be right back with help, I promise!” Humpty declared before he took off as fast as his legs could carry him. Dee could hear Dumpty whimpering and crying beneath her and she wished she had the strength to try and comfort him but she was in so much pain that it was hard to even think straight, she could only hope help would arrive soon.

Humpty ran so fast that he felt sick, he headed for the Tea Terrace where Mad tended to host his tea parties and prayed he’d be there now. He crashed into the clearing and fell to his knees, gasping for breath, making Mad jump and nearly pour his tea into his lap. Joker recovered from his surprise quicker than he did, leaping from his seat and throwing himself to the ground next to the boy.

“Humpty, what’s wrong? Where’s Dumpty? Take a deep breath and tell me what’s happened.” Joker kept his voice calm, hoping it would rub off on the panicked child but Humpty just grabbed his arm and started to pull on it.

“You have to come to the rock house! You have to! Now! Now! You have to save them!” Tears streamed from his eyes but Joker scooped him up in his arms because Humpty was shaking from exhaustion after his sprint. He made sure he had a secure grip on the boy and looked over his shoulder to see that Mad, Opera and Bill were standing and ready to go.

“Follow me, the rock house is the mountain where their griffon lives and we just had an earthquake so something has obviously happened.” Joker was already running before he’d finished speaking, knowing that the others would be able to keep up with him. He tried not to think about what he might find but as he rushed up the trail, he caught sight of the rockslide and his heart was in his throat. “Oh God, please no.”

“What’s that light?” Mad exclaimed, having spotted something that Joker hadn’t. When Mad got closer, he stopped in shock. The massive boulder and rocks were suspended in the air but barely clearing the ground, there was a soft aura of light around them, flickering slightly, shifting them precariously every time it did so.

“Look, it’s Dee!” Opera’s voice shouted out, drawing attention to the epicentre of the light. Mad could see that she was curled protectively over something, Dumpty being the most likely candidate. He couldn’t see her face from here but her body was visibly shaking with effort. Mad shared a look with his sister and readied his cane.

“We’ll hold the landslide back while you two crawl under and drag them both out. On three, Opera. One, two, three.” The siblings used their combined power to hold the rocks up, almost instantly the white light disappeared and Dee’s frame collapsed completely, making Dumpty scream her name in fear.

Meanwhile Joker and Bill had reached them, dropping down on to their stomachs to shimmy themselves underneath the boulder. Dee was unconscious so Joker got an arm around her waist and half slid/half dragged her out while Bill grabbed Dumpty as soon as Dee was pulled off of him. When Joker could stand again, he picked Dee up and put her over his shoulder and carried her over to the mages with Bill on his heels.

Humpty clapped his hands over his ears when Mad and Opera let the rocks go, it sounded like an explosion and he coughed as a cloud of dust was kicked up. Joker had laid Dee out carefully on the ground, her face was covered in blood. Mad knelt down next to her and summoned a wet cloth, cleaning her up to see if she had any wounds.

“It looks like she’s not hurt, it was coming from her nose and ears. But we need to wake her up.” Mad brought a vial of smelling salts out from his pocket and wafted it under Dee’s nose until she started to stir. She groaned in pain before she gasped and sat up sharply, clutching her head with one hand and pressing the other to her chest.

“Oh sh-” Dee started to say before she remembered the twins were there, she gave them a shaky strained smile. “Thank God that you are both ok. I don’t know what happened and how I did it but it _hurt_. I’m in a lot of pain right now.” Opera waved her staff and a glass of sparkling water appeared and she handed it to her.

“Drink this, it has the painkilling powder in it.” Opera supported the glass with her hand because Dee’s hands were shaking. “You used the magic in your ‘Heart’ to hold the landslide back. You did it unconsciously, probably in response to the danger.”

“Of course! How could I have missed it?” Mad suddenly declared as he smacked his palm to his forehead in realisation. “In the church, one of the bars of the portcullis had been blasted loose and I couldn’t work out how it had happened, I thought maybe some stray magic hit it but it must have been you, Dee!”

“Me? Casting spells by accident?” Dee sounded incredulous as she took another sip and grit her teeth against a wave of pain. She didn’t look like she believed it, but then again, why weren’t her and the twins killed by the avalanche? “Please tell me it doesn’t hurt you guys this much every time you use magic?” She asked as she visibly grimaced.

“No, I’d imagine you were using raw unfocused magic, a bit like using a flamethrower to kill a spider. You’ll get the spider but inefficiently and at the cost of a lot of collateral damage.” Mad explained gently as Dee downed the rest of the water. “The fact you are capable of casting spells just confirms that magic must have existed in the Other World at some point.”

“Hey, Mad? While I’m sure that’s all very exciting and interesting, me and Bill have got our arms full of tired out twins and Dee would probably like to be laying on a bed right now instead of the ground.” Joker used his foot to lightly prod Mad, his arms wound tightly around a clingy Humpty while Bill had a similar hold on Dumpty.

“That’s sounds like an amazing idea, but I don’t think I can walk anywhere right now.” Dee sucked her breath in as she pressed her hand harder against her chest in pain. Opera and Mad shared another look and helped Dee on to her feet where Opera steadied her and Mad crouched down to give her a piggyback.

“My house isn’t far from here; I can keep an eye on you to make sure you don’t need something stronger for the pain... I can handle things from here if you want to go and get Humpty and Dumpty home and settled down, Joker?” Mad offered as Dee wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, Mad supporting her under her legs. Joker was agreeable with that plan on the promise that Mad would keep him up to date on Dee’s condition and they went their separate ways.

As Mad walked along, he was vaguely aware of his sister texting away on her phone as she walked behind them. She was either making notes about Dee for her research before she forgot anything important or she was informing Noir, Ruber and Sakuto about what happened. He was about to ask her to text Ash too when he hesitated, not knowing if Dee would welcome that as things stood.

When they arrived, Mad walked straight into his room. He glanced over his shoulder to see if Dee was just being very quiet or if she was actually asleep. She had her eyes closed so Mad turned around and sat down at the edge of the bed. He eased Dee backwards, being careful not to let her flop in case she woke up. It turned out that Mad needn’t have been that cautious.

“M’Not asleep.” Dee muttered as she wearily opened her eyes, watching as Mad knelt down to undo the laces on her shoes. “I’m so tired but my head is thumping so hard I can’t hear anything else.” She complained as she let Mad manhandle her into the bed properly, laying her down and covering her over with a blanket. 

Mad pulled up a chair so he could sit right next to the bed, he rubbed his hands together to warm them before leaning over and pressing his fingertips to Dee’s temples, rubbing in a circular motion. The surprise was obvious on Dee’s face as she stared at him, stunned into silence.

“Temple massages have usually helped me when I’ve had a headache so I thought I’d try it on you. Hopefully it will at least ease it enough for you to get some sleep. If this is anything like the times with Lory and the Bandersnatch, then you are going to sleep for a while. I should have asked Opera how much magic you’d used.” Mad frowned thoughtfully but he shook his head a little. “No matter, don’t you worry about that. Just try to get some sleep and I’ll keep an eye on you, I promise.”


	12. Chapter Twelve

Dee smiled to herself as she tightened her arms around Joker’s waist, watching the countryside pass them by. Taking Joker’s motorcycle for this trip instead of her car had been a brilliant idea, it was a wonderful day for a ride. The pair had already been to see the lawyers, Dee had left with a stack of papers in her bag to have a look through, and they were now heading to the village to see Mrs Underwood.

As Dee gave directions, her eyes automatically flicked to the familiar houses and buildings as they passed. So many memories here, some very sad but most of them were good and a wave of nostalgia washed over her. Dee pointed out Mrs Underwood’s house and Joker pulled up the driveway. When they stopped, Dee unclipped her helmet and pulled it off, pointing to the larger three storey house next door.

“That’s the house I grew up in, I knew every inch of it and the garden too, there were places I could hide for hours and no one could ever find me.” Dee informed Joker as he put down the kickstand, his hands raising to his own helmet. Joker smirked at her as she used her hands to unflatten his hair for him.

“I can just imagine it, little Dee climbing up a tree and trying not to giggle while your parents looked for you. I’ll bet you were a complete hellion…” He teased, getting an immediate indignant prod in his side before an unexpected voice joined in.

“You have no idea.” Mrs Underwood was standing at the opened back door with a tea towel, drying her hands, she grinned at the pair of them. “When you first pulled up, it was like I’d gone back fifty years. Derrek, my late husband, was a rocker you see, he had a motorbike like that.” Dee had stowed away her helmet and went to give Mrs Underwood a hug and kiss on the cheek.

“Good luck trying to get this one to change his hairstyle to a pompadour. This is Joker, I’ve told you about him but this is the first time I’ve been able to bring him along. Joker, this is Mrs Underwood.” Dee introduced them as Joker came over and held out his hand for Mrs Underwood to shake. The woman chuckled, taking his hand only to tug him downwards so she could embrace him. Joker stiffened in surprise for a moment before he squeezed her back.

“You taught my precious girl how to defend herself, that makes you family to me. Come in, come in, I’ll make tea.” Mrs Underwood had turned away so she missed the fact that Joker had flushed bright crimson at being described as family but Dee caught it, she patted his arm in understanding and headed inside.

While Mrs Underwood got some tea and biscuits ready, Dee told her that they had been to see the family lawyers. She gave a vague explanation that there were some items that she remembered from childhood that she was trying to track down. Dee pulled out the pack that she’d been given, dropping it on the table with a dramatic thunk.

“While you’re doing that, I’m just going to see if there’s anything I need to maintain on my bike, it’s a nice enough day for it.” Joker stood up and Dee shot him a look that clearly said _‘Traitor’_ and got an unapologetic grin in response as he headed out the backdoor. Mrs Underwood chuckled as she flicked on her radio that was sitting on the windowsill and put two cups of tea down for them after leaving one on the counter by the door for Joker.

“Can I help at all, dear? My memory isn’t what it used to be but I’ll try.” She offered as Dee picked up a pink wafer and began munching on it as she looked at the papers, unhelpfully it was only ordered in alphabetical order, not by category or type.

“It’s really family heirlooms that I’m after, specifically from Dad’s mum’s side, you know, the Greek one?” Dee explained as she felt her eyes already beginning to hurt. She’d been having background headaches ever since she saved the twins and herself the other day, but today had been fine up until now. Dee groaned and rubbed her temples, hoping to stave it off. “Anything really old and Hellenic that you can remember?”

“Not that I can recall…” Mrs Underwood looked thoughtful as she cradled her tea in her hands. “…Though I do remember hearing that after the funeral that there was a museum curator of some sort that came and looked at your house. I believe there was a good handful of things that the executors donated to them.” Dee looked up in surprise before she grinned and ran her eyes down the list eagerly.

“Oh wow! Yes, there’s quite a few things that have been marked off as going to a Roman Villa museum. I know that some of the things we had were from Crete but it looks like they took the ancient Greek stuff too. Brilliant, it’s a lead! Thank you!” Dee leaned over and placed another kiss on Mrs Underwood’s cheek before she picked up a pen and started marking off the museum items.

“Hey?” Joker appeared at the threshold of the back door, a rag in his hands that was streaked with engine grease. “Do you have a ratchet wrench and a pan that I could borrow to drain my engine oil? The filter needs changing and I might as well get it done now.”

“There should be some tools and things in the back cupboard, go and have a look in there.” Mrs Underwood pointed and Dee got up from her seat because she knew where she was going. The pair of them found a tool box and a suitable bowl they could use. Dee followed Joker back outside to lend a hand if needed.

Joker placed the pan under the engine and removed the drain plug with the ratchet wrench and oil started to empty outwards. Dee had moved to sit on the garden wall, her legs swinging back and forth as she hummed along with the pseudo-classical music coming through the open window from the radio. 

Joker watched her out the corner of his eyes, Dee appeared contented but he could see that her movements were slightly arrhythmic, she was forcing a carefree attitude and acting fine when she blatantly wasn’t. She still refused to discuss the situation between her and Ash, getting quite angry if anyone tried to bring it up with her, but Joker hoped she was in a good enough mood not to bite his head off this time.

“You don’t fool me you know.” Joker spoke as he knelt down and unscrewed the old filter, making sure to keep it over the bowl to catch the drips. “You are pretending that you’re coping well with Cardia’s death and it’s painfully obvious that you’re as devastated about Ash as he is about you.” Dee stopped moving her legs mid-swing, called out on her act and she looked away.

“I’ll be fine, it’s just going to take time… on both counts.” Dee mumbled in a low voice, not wanting Mrs Underwood to overhear them. Joker sighed as he cleaned off the filter port with the rag before screwing on the new one.

“You’re a stubborn ass when you want to be, you know?” Joker asked rhetorically, getting a glare from Dee. “I know you’ve probably convinced yourself that you’ve got a damn good reason for breaking it off with Ash but knowing what you’re like it’s gonna be something that he won’t even care about if you actually talked to him.” Joker rose to his knees after putting the drain plug back in, opening the filler cap to the oil tank and slowly pouring in fresh oil.

“We wouldn’t have lasted, Joker. A year or two, maybe more if we were lucky but a break up was completely inevitable.” Dee answered him sadly, but there was certainty in her tone. “At least with calling it off now, we might be able to salvage more of a friendship than we would have done if we’d been more… invested in each other.” Joker got to his feet and stood in front of Dee, pulling her up to standing and gripping her arms just above the elbow.

“You truly and honestly believe that, don’t you? Why? Tell me what has you so convinced!” Joker gave her a little shake but she’d clammed up, turning her face away from him with a sniffle. Joker sighed and pulled Dee into a warm hug. “I wish you’d talk to me, or one of the others if not me, it’s so hard watching you do this to yourself and not knowing why or how to help.”

Joker held her for a few minutes, stroking her back as Dee allowed her feelings to reach the surface for a few minutes. Had it really only been nine days since Cardia’s death? It was nearly a week since the memorial too, Ruber had had the ashes from the pyre placed in an urn and buried alongside the other soldiers that had died in service of Protea and she was considering a more permanent tribute but had been unable to settle on an idea yet.

The music on the radio suddenly caught Joker’s ear, while he didn’t know the exact piece, he recognised the time signature as a waltz. He smiled as he remembered Sakuto’s coronation ball where Dee danced while wearing the beautiful dress that Opera had made for her. Joker smirked as an idea came to him. He drew back a touch, taking Dee’s right hand with his left, placing his right on her waist.

“Joker?” Dee asked questioningly but her left hand had already settled on to his right shoulder as a natural instinct. Joker just gave her a small smile as he led them in a waltz, he wasn’t as well practiced as Sakuto or Mad, but he knew enough so he didn’t stand on her toes. “I thought you hated dancing? I usually have to get you ridiculously drunk before I can drag you anywhere near the dancefloor.”

“Well there’s no one here to see us apart from Mrs Underwood, and ballroom dancing at least has steps that you can learn and you either get right or wrong.” Joker said with a shrug as they performed a half turn so that they didn’t end up in the flower bed. “I don’t like dancing but I love watching you do it, it’s one of the things that makes you light right up.” 

Dee gave him a grateful smile and the pair waltzed until the end of the song. They headed back inside after that and Joker took half the stack of papers from Dee and they marked off all the items that had been donated to the museum. When it became time for them to head back to the city, Dee asked him to make a couple of stops first.

Dee carried the flowers she’d just bought from the village shop through the maze of headstones. Joker walked beside her in silent solidarity as she led the way to her parents’ graves. As was her habit now, she knelt down and cleared up the site first before unwrapping her flowers – always roses and carnations- and placing them in the stone pot before she sat down on the grass properly to speak to them.

“I lost a good friend recently, I tried to save him but I couldn’t. He died under my hands.” Dee bit her lip and sniffled. Joker was standing nearby underneath the shade of a tree, watching her but he couldn’t hear what she was saying. “I don’t know if there’s an afterlife, and even if there is, whether it is a different place for each reality. But if Cardia _is_ there with you two, tell him I’m sorry.” Dee took a shaking inhale before she spoke again.

“And on the off chance that you can hear me right now, Cardia, watch over Wonderland. Things are brewing with The Black Wave; they’ve gone underground but they are using national sentiment to entice people into their ranks.” Dee twisted her fingers in her lap as she looked down. “It’s going to blow up and it’s gonna be so bad… and I don’t want to lose anyone else. Not one more person, I can’t, I just can’t do it... please, don’t let anyone else die!” 

Dee pulled her legs up, hugging them to her chest and buried her face in her knees as she pleaded. After a few seconds, she felt the vibrations of Joker’s footsteps as he approached her. He sat down behind Dee and shuffled forward so his legs were on either side of hers. Joker gently pulled Dee so her back was against his chest, wrapping himself around her in an effort to give her a place where she felt safe enough to let her walls down, however small it was.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

The next day and Dee was sitting in Lory’s glade, they were exploring Dee’s new found ability to use magic and it was decided that this was the safest place to do it. There was no telling what the general population of Wonderland would make of Dee suddenly being able to cast spells, and that was without the added complication of the militants. Xenophobic sentiment was on the up among Gentians, though to be fair it wasn’t only directed at Dee, all the citizens outside their own borders and quite a few within counted as an ‘Outsider’ nowadays.

“I’ve mentioned before that magic needs a conduit, like my sceptre or Noir’s gloves. But pretty much anything can be turned into one really.” Ruber was sitting in front of Dee, she was the most powerful magician in Wonderland so there was no one better to have as her own personal tutor. “It is simply a magical focus point, you don’t need to even touch it to cast some of the simplest spells, so do you have any preferences on what yours should be?”

Dee thought for a few moments before her hand went to her necklace, she unfastened it and dropped it into Ruber’s outstretched hand. She was ridiculously nervous about the prospect of using her magic consciously, afraid it would hurt again or that she’d hurt someone else. Lory was sat next to her and she dropped a calming hand over Dee’s, getting a grateful smile.

“Right well this phoenix talon is absolutely perfect as a conduit. Just give me a few moments.” Ruber slipped the talon off of the leather cord and moved away so she had more space. She drew a circle in front of her with her sceptre along with a lot of unfamiliar symbols. Ruber put the talon in the centre of it, mumbling to herself before she made a complex gesture with her hand. There was a bright flash of light and when it had dissipated the magic circle was gone.

“It doesn’t look any different from the outside.” Dee commented as she put the talon back on her necklace, hanging it around her neck again. She stroked it with a finger, maybe it felt a touch warmer than it usually did but it was hard to be sure.

“I made it as unobtrusive as possible so it doesn’t draw any unwanted attention. Now, time for your first lesson. Nothing strenuous as you are still a little low on ‘Heart’ magic after that landslide.” Ruber had resumed her position in front of Dee, she waved her sceptre and a line of rose buds appeared between them. “Take a hold of the talon, focus on it and make this flower bloom.”

Dee took a deep breath to steady her nerves, she clasped her right hand around the talon and focused the same way she did when she was doing energy transfers with Lory. She hadn’t been given any magic words so she settled for imagining the rose blooming. There was a sharp ping and Dee gasped in surprise as all the flowers bloomed, one after each other in an accelerating domino effect. Lory clapped her hands together with a thrilled grin, thoroughly impressed.

“Well done! Too much power and not enough focus but you did it!” Ruber was laughing but it was full of warmth and affection so Dee didn’t feel too embarrassed. “The important part is that you managed it without using raw power, which means it won’t have any of the unpleasant side effects. Now let’s try that again with a little more control this time.” Ruber waved her sceptre and the flowers reverted back to buds.

Dee felt encouraged by that early success and it settled her nerves down. She took another breath and held on to her talon. Dee focused and tried to let as little of her power out as possible, the rose she was looking at unfurled a tiny bit but unfortunately, so did the others in the line. Dee frowned, her brows creasing in confusion, she attempted to visualise her power as a laser, only falling on her chosen rose.

“YES!” Dee shouted in delight when the rose bloomed fully but the others didn’t. She threw her arms around Lory and gave her a hard squeeze. Ruber was looking at her in open admiration, it was an expression Dee wouldn’t have thought her capable of back when they were staring each other down in her castle courtroom such a long time ago.

“You are a remarkably quick learner, that was very impressive and you know that I’m not one to offer empty platitudes.” Ruber complimented her sincerely as Dee blushed, but she was smiling. “Now most simple spells don’t require magic words or rituals. It’s simply a case of focus and do. As you gain more confidence, you may find you don’t even have to hold your conduit, you can mentally focus on it and cast that way.” Ruber demonstrated by nodding at another rose and it bloomed even though her sceptre was next to her.

“What about more complex spells? Like the one you just did on my talon.” Dee asked with an excited little smile, now she knew she could cast spells without pain, she wanted to learn everything that she could. Dee looked to the third flower in the line and made it bloom without holding on to her pendant. Ruber gaped for a second before she shook her head in disbelief, waving her sceptre to make the roses disappear.

“Ok, that’s enough for now. Don’t forget that if you run out of energy, your ‘Heart’ will break. You won’t be able to love anymore, let alone use magic, transfer energy to Lory or anything like that.” Ruber’s words sobered Dee up considerably and she nodded her understanding, looking chastened. “Female mages here can tap into the magic in their ‘Heart’ but it’s not their only source of power, there’s an innate magical ability.”

“We Wonderland mages can run out of that other well of power, but nothing bad or permanent happens because of it, so that is one obvious difference between the mages of our realms. Another is we don’t need an Awakening Crystal before we can cast spells. There’s still a lot of unknowns but hopefully your heirlooms might give us a few clues.” It all sounded horribly complicated and it was making Dee’s head hurt just thinking about it.

“But going back to your previous question, more complex spells need preparation, rituals and require more concentration and precision. But the premise is similar, focusing and channelling power.” Ruber waved her sceptre and a pitcher of cool juice and some glasses appeared between them, along with a plate of sandwiches.

“As with everything, mages can be better or worse at certain types of magic. Noir excels at teleportation magic, as you well know. Mad is a healer, but his tracking magic is better than mine and no one can compete with his tea spells.” Dee giggled with a grin as she poured herself a glass of juice and took a sip.

“Opera is as close to an all-rounder as you are likely to get but she’s very good at brewing potions or making creams and other magic consumables. She’s also an impeccable magical scientist, look at all the things she’s invented since the distortions. Myself, I’m good with offensive magic, flower spells and I’m the best at enchanting items.” Ruber had helped herself to a sandwich and nudged the plate towards Lory in encouragement, the deity didn’t need to eat but she took one anyway.

“So, for example, you can do teleportation but… what? It’s not as accurate as Noir’s? Or it takes more power?” Dee asked as she stretched her arms above her head, feeling her back crack. She’d slept on her couch for the last few nights. Every time she woke up alone in her bed, it brought all her emotions to the surface again and she was completely exhausted by it.

“Both really. In a dire situation without Noir then a weak teleportation spell would be better than nothing but most of the time, it’s best to leave it to him if he’s there or find another way if he’s not.” Ruber replied, she noted Dee’s discomfort but didn’t press her about it.

“I wonder what kind of magic that I’ll be best at?” Dee wondered aloud with a curious expression. “Maybe support magic? I mean I am the equivalent of a magical battery pack anyway, so it would make sense.” She grinned, watching as Lory frowned at her.

“Don’t call yourself that, you know you’re a lot more than that.” Lory scolded her but Dee just laughed. She made these jokes about being regularly milked or being a portable charger _because_ she knew that it wasn’t how the others saw her. Dee didn’t mind anyway; she’d happily give up even more if it meant Wonderland would never disappear from existence. 

“Flick her in the forehead, it’s the only way to get her to stop doing something.” Ruber told Lory, prompting a scandalised gasp from Dee. Ruber burst out laughing as Dee tried to subtly shift out of arm’s reach, one hand twitching with the urge to reach up and protect herself.

“Duly noted.” Lory smirked at Dee in a satisfied tone, leaving no doubt that Bill’s particular brand of aversion therapy would be employed in future. The three of them fell into a comfortable silence for a few minutes before Ruber sighed and broke it. 

“I’m having trouble coming up with a more permanent way to memorialise Cardia. A statue or a plaque don’t seem right but I’m not sure what else I could do.” Ruber admitted, picking at the grass absently as she frowned at her lack of inspiration.

“It’s a tough one, for sure. I mean, you could plant a tree for him but that doesn’t really scream ‘Cardia’ at me.” Dee frowned as she chewed on her lip in thought before an idea came to her. “Oh, I know! Cardia really loved being a soldier, his most prized possession was his medal of honour. Why don’t you create a medal and name it after him? Something that’s awarded to soldiers in recognition of their bravery or going over and above the call of duty.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea!” Lory smiled brightly. “I didn’t know him as well as you both did but I think that’s something he would have been happy to have live on after him.” Dee smiled back but when she turned to Ruber, it dropped immediately. Ruber had her face in her hands as her shoulders shook with sobs. Dee scrambled on her knees towards her and wrapped her arms around Ruber and squeezed her.

“Oh no, don’t cry! It was just an idea; you don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. I didn’t mean to upset you.” Dee was babbling away in a panic as she rubbed Ruber’s back soothingly with her hand. Ruber started to shake her head furiously, dropping her hands as she tried to get her breath back enough to speak.

“No, Dee! I’m not crying because I hate the idea. I’m crying because it’s the _perfect_ tribute to Cardia’s memory. It suits him completely. Thank you, Dee.” Ruber grabbed Dee’s face in her hands and leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead. “I’ll have someone start coming up with designs for the medal as soon as possible.”

“Good! I’m sure it will be a very noble looking award; one any soldier would be proud to have pinned to his chest.” Dee tightened her arms in one last hug before she let her go and sat back down. The three of them chatted amiably about this and that, avoiding the heavier topics in order not to ruin the nice afternoon.

Eventually both Dee and Ruber’s phones buzzed in unison, it was a picture message from Noir that was sent to the chat group. It was The Black Wave’s latest propaganda poster with the headline ‘Do you want to live under the Red Queen?’ There was an unflattering caricature of Ruber crushing commoners beneath her heel. The text of the poster explained that Noir was planning to merge Gentiana with Protea to form the largest state in Wonderland.

:: Someone finally took the bait then. Who was it? :: Ruber answered first and Dee could see Noir was typing, she held her breath in anticipation.

:: It’s Siam. ::


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings:  
> Threat Of Sexual Assault.

Dee walked into her flat and pulled off her t-shirt carefully, she was wearing a strappy top underneath it and she walked over to a mirror, turning to look at the back of her shoulder. She’d just been to the tattoo studio and had some additional work done to her tattoo in memory of Cardia. Dee had texted Sakuto on her way back to let him know that he could head over whenever, the pair of them were going to compare Dee’s list with the online exhibit register of the Roman Villa museum to see what items were still in their possession.

Dee’s smile was small but genuine, pleased with the artist’s work. She’d asked him to add a white Peruvian lily to the rose and carnation that she already had on her right shoulder. Once it had healed up, it should look like it was always part of the tattoo from the start. Dee hoped Cardia would have appreciated the gesture, it still hurt to think about him but she knew from experience that the acute sting would lessen with time.

A knock on the door jolted her out of her thoughts and she walked over to open it, expecting to see Sakuto but it was a stranger with a lanyard around his neck, a clipboard and a toolbox. The man flashed her a friendly smile and held up his laminated ID for her to see.

“Ah, sorry to bother you, Miss, but I’m here to do the annual safety check on your boiler. It won’t take a moment if I can just come in?” The inspector asked in a friendly voice. Dee returned his smile and took a step back, holding the door open.

“Sure, no problem, come on in. The boiler is in that cupboard just under the stairs there.” Dee pointed towards it but her voice trailed off as she looked back at the man. He was trying to walk into the flat but something was preventing him from doing so. He put his toolbox back down and pushed his hands flat against an invisible barrier and frowned in confusion.

“What is this? Some sort of high-tech screen door?” The inspector asked, trying to smile again and put some humour in his voice. “What will they come up with next, eh? If you could just open it up, Miss, then I’ll sort the boiler and be out of your hair in no time.” Dee didn’t answer but she did take a step away from him. She could hear Noir’s voice in her head _‘From now on, no one who means you harm will be able to set foot inside this flat.’_ This man couldn’t cross the threshold, that meant he…

“I think you’d best leave before I call the police.” Dee knew it was her voice that was speaking but it sounded far away as she felt tendrils of fear crawling up her back from the base of her spine. She saw a look of anger flash across his face before he schooled his expression back to friendly.

“But the boiler needs to be checked and serviced. Just open this screen thing and I’ll get righ-” Someone grabbed the inspector by the back of his neck, pulling him away from the door and throwing him across the hallway. Dee gasped as Sakuto placed himself in between her and the man.

“Leave.” There was none of the gentle warmth that was usually in his voice. The stranger straightened up, sizing Sakuto up as he opened his mouth to speak but Sakuto interrupted him. “I’d strongly advise you to leave while you still can. I can certainly take you alone but I have no qualms about summoning certain friends of ours who will be less equivocal about removing limbs and body parts.” The man glanced nervously at his toolbox and Sakuto followed his eyes, using his heel to kick it backwards towards Dee and into the flat.

“If that contains anything that can identify or incriminate you then I’d be leaving the city as quickly as possible if I were you.” Sakuto’s words finally got the man moving, he scrambled to the stairwell and started pelting it down them. Dee sagged in relief, she picked up the toolbox and put it on the counter while Sakuto closed and locked the door.

“Let’s see what he was planning for me.” Dee tried to sound unaffected but her hands betrayed her with their shaking as she opened the box. Inside was a knife, rope, duct tape, condoms and gloves. “ _Oh God!_ He was going to rape me!” Dee swayed on the spot, Sakuto wrapped his arms around her to hold her up and prevent her from falling.

“Easy there, I’ve got you.” Sakuto supported Dee’s weight as she brought her phone out of her pocket, dialling the emergency number and asking for the police. With a shaking voice, Dee reported what had happened. Obviously, she couldn’t mention the safety spell on the door so she lied and said she never let workmen in her flat without someone else with her and the rapist had got belligerent before one of her friends arrived and scared him off.

“They are going to send an officer out to take a formal statement and pick that up.” Dee told Sakuto once she’d finished the call. She shivered as she looked at the toolbox again, reaching out to close it with a slam. “Noir is a lifesaver; I would have just let him in and it would have been too late.”

“Don’t think about it. That’s why Noir put that spell in place, to protect you and it did. Now sit yourself down before you keel over, you’re very pale.” Sakuto guided her to a stool and made her sit down. He then prepared to make her a very sweet cup of tea for the shock; it wasn’t until he was behind her that he noticed the fresh tattoo.

“Oh, so _that’s_ the appointment you had this morning.” Sakuto came closer to look at the new flower as the kettle boiled. “It’s very nice. Would you like me to take a picture of it and put it in the group?” He asked. Dee nodded as she consciously focused on her breathing to calm herself down. Sakuto pulled out his phone and snapped the photo, putting it into the group with a follow up message.

:: Also, don’t panic because Dee’s fine but someone activated Noir’s threshold spell. I arrived and chased the man off but the police have been called. They are coming to take Dee’s statement and pick up some evidence that he left behind. :: Sakuto put the phone down on the counter and poured the water into the mug, adding a generous spoonful or two of sugar.

:: I’m alright, just shaken. He told me he was here to inspect the boiler, showed me his ID and I had just opened the door for him and pointed out the cupboard when I realised that he was stuck at the entrance. Such a stupid thing to do! :: Dee gave Sakuto a weak smile as he put the cup down in front of her and pulled up a stool.

“Don’t beat yourself up about it. It’s called social engineering; we’re conditioned to react in certain ways when we’re provided with specific circumstances.” Sakuto reassured her, rubbing her back soothingly as Dee blew on the tea and took a sip. The group lit up with several notifications making Sakuto glance to it and give an amused huff. “I’ll bet that’s several of them saying that they are coming over, they’ll want to see you’re alright with their own eyes.”

“It’s good for him that it was you that came, Joker would have sliced him to pieces. Bill probably would have beaten him black and blue. I think Mad might have conjured some sort of acid tank, I wouldn’t put it past him. He can be very creative with retribution when he wants to be.” Dee chuckled a little as she was filled with warm feelings at knowing she was cared for.

“It was smart of him that he chose to leave. I may be trained to use the rapier but I have also had enough hand to hand combat training to be confident enough that I’d make him regret taking me on. I may try to avoid death where ever possible but that wouldn’t have prevented me from doing whatever was necessary to protect one of my closest friends.” Sakuto saw Dee flush a little as she looked away but she reached over to squeeze his arm in thanks.

The police ended up arriving first so Dee was sitting on the couch while an officer took down her story when Sakuto opened the door to Opera, Noir, Bill and Ash. She was surprised to see Ash and tried not to let her eyes naturally follow him as they all headed into the kitchen to wait for Dee to finish up. After the statement the officer put the toolbox into an evidence bag and took Dee’s fingerprints as she’d been the one to open it.

Sakuto let the police officer out while Dee used some kitchen towels to clean the ink off of her hands as she headed into the kitchen to greet them. Bill got to her first, giving her a hard hug before holding her by the shoulders as he gave her a visual once over.

“I’m alright, honestly. The door spell did what it was supposed to and he never touched me. Hopefully the police will catch up with him, someone who has a ‘kit’ like that is too dangerous to be on the loose.” Dee shivered in revulsion and Bill gave her arms a comforting rub. “Should we get on with the inventory if we’re all here? It should go quicker with six of us rather than two at least.”

The others agreed so Dee split the pack of paper into five roughly equal stacks and handed them out. When she got to Ash, she made a conscious effort to make eye contact and smile at him as she handed him his stack. He managed a small one back but didn’t say anything and Dee moved away before things could become any more awkward. Opera commandeered Dee’s laptop and the plan was that she’d search for each item on the website list and they’d mark them off with either a tick or a cross.

After a couple of hours, they took a break. Dee went into the kitchen and quickly whipped up some snacks and refreshments. Again, she was trying to treat Ash the same way as she did everyone else but he didn’t speak any more than absolutely necessary. Dee opened a can of soft drink and looked over to Noir.

“I’m surprised to see you today, I thought you’d have been interrogating Siam to find out what he knows about The Black Wave and why he turned spy.” Dee asked and Noir scowled hard, putting the pen he was using down so he didn’t snap it in anger.

“Oh, he’s talking alright, he never flaming stops, but what he’s saying is completely irrelevant. It’s all how the cell is too small or too cold. He’s hungry or thirsty or tired. We’ve had to give the other prisoners earplugs so we don’t end up with a riot.” Noir snapped his fingers and summoned a hairbrush, taking out his band as he combed his hair into a tidier ponytail.

“As for why, money. We found more cash in his quarters than he could realistically account for.” Bill added as he finished the energy drink he was nursing. “The Black Wave’s mysterious benefactors will be looking for someone else in Dark Castle that they can tempt away with the promise of riches before long.”

“All the more reason to try and eliminate them before they get the chance.” Opera was scrolling through the register absently, seeing if anything jumped out at her. “The dungeons are nearly full of militants; it’s got to be making a dent in their operation by now.” Sakuto had finished his snacks and got to his feet, collecting up the plates for everyone and taking them to the kitchen. He decided to be helpful and do the dishes so he looked around for the dish cloth.

“Hey, look what I found!” Sakuto called out with a chuckle after he’d opened a drawer. He held up a deck of cards and Dee threw her hands up for him to toss it over to her, which he did. Dee shook the cards out of the box and shuffled them up with practiced skill.

“I just remembered the magic trick I did at the party... I guess it all becomes a bit moot with actual magic now.” Dee commented as she selected a card for herself, put it back on the deck and shuffled it properly instead of the trick shuffle. She took a hold of her talon and waved the other over the cards but hissed in pain suddenly. “Ouch! What the hell? I just got an electric shock somehow. Did I do it wrong?”

“Not that I could tell from here.” Opera frowned as Dee flexed the hand that had been holding the talon and checked the top card on the deck, but it wasn’t her card. Dee’s brows creased in confusion and she grabbed her talon to try one more time, taking a deep breath to concentrate harder and waved her left hand again. Dee screeched in pain as there was a loud bang that knocked out the electrics and tripped the fuse breaker.

“Dee!” Ash was by her side in a moment, he pulled her arm from where she was cradling it against her chest in pain and saw a red burn across her palm and up her inner forearm. Ash sucked in his breath in shock, putting his other arm around Dee, bringing her to her feet and into the kitchen. He turned on the faucet. “Here. Keep it under the cold tap. Opera, what the hell just happened?” 

“It sounds crazy but it looks like Dee’s magic reacted with something and knocked out the power and gave her a shock!” Opera rushed into the kitchen and stood at Dee’s other side, checking her over as Bill went into the cupboard to switch the fuse box back on, luckily it was a sunny afternoon so it was still light. “… Hang on, maybe that first little shock was a warning and the second one was stronger because Dee tried again?”

“What? So, it was energy not electricity, a prohibition spell?” Noir asked Opera as she brought Dee’s arm out from under the water and began to pat it dry with a tea towel very carefully. “Oh god, what if magic didn’t fall out of use here? What if it was banned completely?” Dee blinked at him with a dazed air, eyes wide like an owl. Ash dragged a stool over and pushed her to sit on it.

“But you mages have all used magic here hundreds of times before.” Bill asked as he ran a hand through his hair in agitation and worry. Sakuto had filled a glass with water and handed it to Dee, she took it with her uninjured hand while Opera summoned a soothing cream and was gently spreading it over the burn.

“Yes, but we use Wonderland magic. There’s similarities between the systems but they are not exactly the same.” Opera answered as she put her hand under Dee’s chin to raise her face and look into her eyes, assessing her pupil dilation. “Prohibition spells can’t be general. They need to be tailored and specific. Like no one can enter a certain area or say a certain word. The spell targets Dee and her magic because she is of this world and we’re not, it doesn’t recognise our magic.” Noir snapped his fingers and one of his notebooks dropped into his hand and he frantically scribbled things down.

“It’s effective, I have no intention of using magic here ever again… This has not been my day.” Dee finally spoke, the cream was already healing the burn but she still felt dazed and a bit tingly. Ash lifted his hand and ran his fingers through Dee’s hair soothingly and she leant into his touch a little. It was a few moments before they both realised what they were doing, Dee stiffened a split second before Ash jerked his hand back like _he’d_ been burnt.

“Come on, Dee, pack an overnight bag and come back to the dorm with us. It’ll make you feel better after today and we can keep an eye on you to make sure there’s no more side effects from the spell.” Sakuto suggested before the awkward silence could stretch out too long. Dee looked up at him and agreed, standing up from the stool and heading for the stairs to get sorted.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

This really hadn’t been Dee’s week.

Dee sighed and carried on trying to wriggle her wrists free from the ropes binding them but the knots were tight and all she was doing was causing more rope burn. Dee was glad that she’d managed to work the blindfold off at least, not that she could see much in the dark. She was in a cage, one that was usually used to house livestock she guessed as it wasn’t big enough for much else, good thing she was pretty small in stature.

Dee sniffed with a grimace, there was a rancid odour, a mix of sour beer, vomit and dust. Finally, her eyes had started to adjust to the lack of light and she spotted a number of casks through the gloom, she was being held in a wine cellar, possibly underneath a tavern. She resisted the urge to use her magic to free herself, she couldn’t run the risk of her captors finding out about her powers.

The Black Wave had grabbed her as she’d headed for Dark Castle to see Noir, they’d seized her from behind and covered her mouth before she could scream. They’d disarmed her then dragged her into the back of a cart, tying her arms and legs together before blindfolding and gagging her. It was all over in less than two minutes, if that.

Dee had fought to keep herself calm as she listened for any useful information as they rode to God knows where, more than once she received an ‘accidental’ kick when the uneven road rocked the passengers riding in the back.

She overheard that they planned to send a ransom demand to Noir for an exchange of prisoners. The Black Wave would hand her over in return for Noir releasing all their operatives currently in the castle dungeons. Dee had felt a flare of indignation, he couldn’t do that! All those militants would just go right back in to the ranks and Noir would be back at square one.

The cart had eventually arrived at its destination and Dee was lifted out of it and thrown over someone’s shoulder. She had considered struggling but the odds of her being able to get free were slim, when coupled with the fact she was alone in what was essentially enemy territory, she decided to wait until she was presented with a better opportunity. 

Thankfully, once they had locked Dee in the cage, they had all gone back upstairs. Once Dee had been certain that she was alone, she’d rubbed the side of her face against one of the bars to work the blindfold off. That’s when she started concentrating on her hands. 

Pain brought her back to the present, she winced as she felt that her wrists had become so irritated that the skin might split and start bleeding if she kept rubbing them, so she began looking around for anything that she could reach to help her cut the bindings.

Dee’s head jerked up at the sound of wood splintering and raised voices, then when the sound of swords clashing joined the cacophony, she felt sure it was a rescue attempt. Dee would have shouted to alert her friends to her location but she was still gagged, she was about to kick at the bars when she heard someone whisper ‘shush’ and Bill jumped down silently from the tiny window he’d just slipped through.

“The fight upstairs is just a distraction. The plan is that I’ll get you out of here and then I’ll signal Sakuto once we are far enough away.” Bill informed Dee as he knelt down and used his tools to pick the lock. He took out his hunting knife and sliced through the ropes at her ankles. “Here, let’s get you out of there so I can untie your wrists. I can’t believe they put you in a cage like an animal!” Bill growled in anger as Dee shuffled forward now her legs were free.

“Thanks, Bill.” She whispered after he pulled the gag out of her mouth, turning so he could cut the bonds around her wrists. “Please tell me Noir didn’t release his prisoners for me.” She winced as Bill’s fingers touched the reddened skin.

“No, he pretended to though. He brought a wagon to the meeting spot that he said was full of the captives.” Bill jumped back up to the window, reaching down and grabbing Dee’s hand to pull her up after him. “But it was actually Sakuto, Ash and everyone else who jumped out and started wrecking the place so I could get to you.”

“Very clever plan.” Dee commented as she crawled through the window, the sounds of fighting were louder now. Bill had his bow nocked and ready, keeping to the shadows as Dee followed him. She’d never been to this town before, her eyes were drawn to the docks with a number of ships tied to the piers. “This is Sable, right? The port?” 

Bill nodded as he raised a finger to his lips as he crept around the corner. They were heading for the south gate, which was the furthest away from the fighting. More than once they’d had to flatten themselves against a wall while a group of sailors ran to join in the fray. Dee hoped her friends were handling themselves ok. Finally, they saw the gate but their relief was short lived as there was a man standing in front of it with his back to them, then he turned around.

“Billy!” The man greeted them before an arrow thudded into the gate, skimming the man’s ear. He reached up to touch it and his fingers came away bloody. “Now now, is that any way to greet your old man after all this time?” Dee gasped and looked to Bill but his face was a cold mask as he calmly pulled a new arrow from his quiver and drew his bow with unshaking hands.

“Funny, I don’t remember you ever doing much to earn the right to be called ‘father’, Marley.” Bill’s voice was even toned and clipped. There wasn’t much of a family resemblance between the two, Marley had the purple hair of a Cat and he was stocky whereas Bill was slender and lithe. He also had a large scar that ran from under his chin to his collarbone. “Get out the way or we go through you.”

“Can’t do that, I’m afraid. You’ve got a valuable bargaining chip standing behind you.” Marley drew his cutlass; the action drew attention to the wave tattooed on the back of his right wrist. “I knew that bastard Noir would pull something like this in response to the first ransom demand. So, I told my men to play along while I waited here for the ‘Alice’.” 

“ _You’re_ the leader of The Black Wave?” Bill’s face was a picture of disbelief. “You’ve never given a damn about politics, too busy drinking, stealing, fighting and cheating at cards to give two fucks about much of anything. What would make a selfish waste of space like you start a resistance movement?”

“It was Noir’s reforms. One of the first things he did was crack down on crime, up the taxes on alcohol and ban gambling except in reputable venues so it was all above board.” Dee spoke up as the pieces began to click into place in her head. “Your funders are likely the casino owners that didn’t want to submit to tighter regulations and fees, right? I bet they’d be willing to front a lot of cash for the prospect of returning to the ‘good’ old days… after they got tired of waiting for Noir’s reign to collapse on its own that is.” Marley gave a bark of laughter and threw her a slimy grin that was more gaps than teeth.

“You’re a smart one, I’ll give you that, Alice. It’s almost a shame I’m going to need to send that buggar one of your fingers to prove I’m serious after this little stunt, I’ll make it one of your pinkies though because I’m such a nice guy.” Marley took a half step to the side so he could see Dee properly, giving her an appraising once over from head to toe.

“Not my type really but you must be something else in the sack to have all the monarchs of Wonderland in your pocket, why else would they give an Outsider like you the time of day? Maybe I’ll give you a go later to see what all the fuss is about.” Dee physically suppressed the urge to shudder but her skin felt like it was crawling where ever Marley’s eyes roamed. He made to move towards them but Bill shot another arrow into the gate by his head in warning. 

“In respect to your mother, I will give you one chance, boy. Get out of my way or I will kill you and take the little whore somewhere else before your friends even realise that we’ve gone.” Marley’s eyes had turned to steel as he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, his look was mirrored right back at him by Bill as he nocked another arrow. There wasn’t one ounce of familial love or affection between them.

“If you think I’ll let you lay one hand on her while I still draw breath then you’ve got another thing coming. It makes me sick to my stomach that we share the same blood.” Bill was almost vibrating with his rage and hatred. “Until she died, Mum was the only good thing I had in my life. It was years before I started finding people like her again. The first of many was Sakuto; Dee is another. She earned her place in Wonderland and she’s easily worth fifty of you.”

“That’s how it’s gonna be then? So be it.” Marley’s lip curled in disgust before he thrust his left arm out, a concealed throwing dagger glinted in the sun as it flew towards Bill’s face. The blade bounced off an invisible shield an inch away from Bill’s nose with a metallic ping. “A barrier?!” He exclaimed in disbelief.

“A personal protective charm, never leave home without it.” Bill gestured to the part of his bandanna that was hidden by his floppy green hair. Dee was glad Bill was a quick thinker because she had done that without considering it properly, at least she’d managed it without touching her talon. Bill didn’t wait to see if Marley bought his explanation, firing an arrow at him that he only just dodged.

“BOSS!” A sailor came sprinting towards them from a side street. “You gotta get out of here! Noir’s nearly taken the whole town!” Marley’s eyes bulged in shock and his face reddened until it almost went as purple as his hair.

“How do a handful of men not only fight off but defeat a whole port of cutthroats, bar brawlers and thieves?!” Marley demanded as he grabbed the sailor by the scruff of his shirt and shook him violently before dropping him into the dusty ground.

“When every person in that handful are worth fifty of you, like I told you.” Bill was smirking as he tracked his father with his drawn bow as he turned to leave. “Ah ah! No, you don’t! You’re going to be tried for treason and end this damned civil war!” Marley growled, grabbing something from his belt and throwing it to the ground with a smash. 

Black smoke immediately billowed up; Dee covered her mouth as she coughed violently. She felt Bill grab her other wrist to drag her away from the cloud. They reached the town square in time to bump into Noir leading the others to come and find them, having become worried at not receiving Bill’s signal by now.

“There you both are! What the hell happened to you guys?” Noir asked as they stood coughing up the remnants of the smoke bomb. Mad spotted a nearby water pump and filled up a mug he snatched off a neighbouring table. Bill took it from him and downed half before handing it to Dee.

“The leader of The Black Wave was waiting for us at the gate. Dee figured out he’s being backed by the underground gambling sector so that explains the money. I tried to capture him and he smoke bombed us and got away.” Bill growled and kicked at a nearby fence in an uncharacteristic show of anger. “His name is Marley and the bastard is my estranged ‘father’!” He spat the word out with a growl before Sakuto put a calming hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t worry about him getting away. Our main aim was to get Dee back and we’ve done that plus captured even more of their operatives. So, I suggest we head back and regroup. Are you alright, Dee? Did they hurt you?” Sakuto asked as Dee held up her wrists to show her rope burns. 

“A few bruises and these, I’m more annoyed that they stole my damned stiletto.” She grumbled prompting Joker to cough pointedly to get Dee’s attention, he was twirling her knife in his fingers and her face lit up to see it.

“I spotted one of the sailors with it, he was keeping it as a trophy.” Joker flipped the dagger and offered the hilt to Dee, she took it and sheathed it in the scabbard on her thigh. Joker grinned and shrugged nonchalantly. “He wouldn’t have been able to use it anyway, not with two broken hands.”


	16. Chapter Sixteen

The museum curator was talking animatedly as he led Dee, Opera, Sakuto, Ash, Mad and Noir on a private tour around the villa. Dee had told him that her family had been behind the large posthumous donation a number of years ago and he’d agreed to show her the pieces they had as long as she didn’t try to claim them back. 

So far nothing about any of the items Dee had seen had looked exceptional or roused any strong feelings, if she’d even remembered them at all. They went up some stairs to the next floor and entered a large room, Dee’s eyes scanned around until she caught sight of a bronze staff mounted on the wall, it had two snakes wound around it and their entwined bodies formed the astrological symbol of Mercury at the top. Dee ignored the curator’s rambling and walked over to the staff, looking intently at it.

“I remember this. It’s a kerykeion, it used to hang on the wall in the hall upstairs. The symmetry of the design and the snakes always fascinated me.” Dee’s fingers twitched with the urge to touch the staff but she knew the curator probably wouldn’t like that so instead she turned her head to him when he joined her, along with her friends.

“Quite right, Miss, it is a kerykeion or a caduceus in more common parlance nowadays. The Roman god Mercury always carried one, the Greek counterpart being Hermes. Myth states that when Hermes invented the instrument known as Shepherd’s pipes, he gave it to his half-brother Apollo, god of the arts and music, and in return Apollo gave Hermes the caduceus.” Dee smiled, as much as she normally loved learning about myths and legends, they needed to get a closer look at that staff.

Dee glanced at Mad, shooting him a meaningful look. He touched the brim of his hat subtly to show that he’d received the message. He waved his cane behind the curator and the man fell asleep mid-sentence. Sakuto and Ash caught him before he hit the ground and laid him out carefully on a nearby convenient Roman reclining couch.

“Nice work, little brother!” Opera declared with a smile before turning her attention back to Dee. “Be careful with that thing, it’s got one hell of a weird energy signature, I haven’t come across anything quite like it before… well, not in _this_ realm at least.”

“Well at least I know it’s not just me that feels drawn to it then. Funny that I don’t remember feeling this sort of pull from it back when I was younger.” Dee cautiously moved aside the red velvet rope that was blocking her way before she reached up and made to lift it from the wall. A sharp gasp escaped from her mouth as she touched it and her body went rigid. Noir was about to go to her side when Opera threw her arm out across his chest to block him.

“Stop, stay back… that energy signature has moved out of the staff and into…” Opera’s voice trailed off but the others could work out what the end of that sentence was meant to be. Dee slowly turned around, looking down and examining her hands like it was the first time she’d seen them. When she finally glanced up, her irises were a sharp and piercing green that made Ash suck in his breath in shock. “Who or what are you?” Opera demanded, her tone leaving no room for negotiation.

“Diàkonos. But you may call me the Deacon.” It was Dee’s voice, if maybe a tone lower than normal, but her whole aura was different as a cold smirk stretched her lips. “As to ‘what’ I am, I am a Psion. A race of people with magical abilities that once spread all over Hellas and the rest of the known world. I am the grandson of the powerful Psion or sorceress known as Circe and the adventurer Odysseus. This vessel that you’ve graciously provided me with is also of the same blood.” The Deacon gestured to Dee’s body.

“Dee is a direct descendant of Odysseus? He’s supposed to be pure myth!” Sakuto gasped in disbelief, he had done a lot of research into the ancient Greek mythology to find out what happened to magic in this world. “So, Dee is a Psion and Psions are capable of using magic?”

“Correct. Put simply, she’s my niece by a great many generations. I must thank you people for training her in magic, it’s because of that I was able to successfully transfer my consciousness from that vile _stick_ that I’ve been imprisoned in for millennia.” The Deacon spat out his words and clenched his hands into fists in rage before he caught himself, coughing and casually wiping his hands on his clothes. 

“Prior attempts on those not ready have failed and proven fatal for the vessel. You have questions, no doubt. I suppose I can answer some of them in thanks for your help.” The Deacon walked over to the couch and roughly pushed the curator’s legs off the end of it to take a seat. The personality change was jarring for the rest of them and it was a few moments before they moved to stand around the Deacon.

“What makes a Psion’s ‘Heart’ different from a non-Psion’s ‘Heart’ in this world?” Mad was the first to ask a question, they had been trying to work out the exact differences between the systems of magic without much luck. It seemed silly not to take advantage of a primary source of information like this, even if it had currently possessed one of his best friends.

“We call it a ‘Krene’ here because it’s the source of all magic. There’s no difference between a Psion’s ‘Krene’ and a Mute’s – a non-magic user.” The Deacon had pulled Dee’s phone out of his pocket and was playing with it, mimicking the movements of the countless people he’d observed but with little understanding or success. “The difference is the Psions themselves; we can access that ‘Krene’ and use the magic inside whereas Mutes cannot.”

“But only female Mutes can create a ‘Krene’? Why can’t males? And even a Psion, male or female, can’t use magic until their ‘Krene’ has formed? Right?” Noir had lots of questions, he decided to ask them all quickly to cover his annoyance at the Deacon messing with the things that he’d found in Dee’s pockets like he owned them.

“The first Mutes were created by the Psions themselves. The process was meant to be a means of making fully grown Psions that could create a ‘Krene’ within months of being ‘born’, not years or decades.” The Deacon revelled in the look of shock on their faces. “But only the women were able to form one and even then, they weren’t able to use it. Our forefathers kept the Mutes, initially as slaves but then most were freed and they procreated extensively and spread far and wide.”

“As you’ve noted, magic isn’t possible until the ‘Krene’ has formed. This is generally in young adulthood. What is required is strong emotions and the maturity to understand them.” The Deacon closed his eyes and seemed to be looking inside his mind. “Ah, for instance. This vessel’s ‘Krene’ was formed when she was finally able to trust that the friendship offered to her didn’t come with any strings attached. That’s why it was blue because the emotion was trust.” Ash felt a visceral rage that the Deacon was looking through Dee’s private memories, he thought he’d successfully suppressed his snarl but those familiar-but-not eyes turned to look at him.

“Most ‘Krenes’ are red when formed because love will usually be the first strong emotion a young adult is mature enough to understand. But not all, mine was formed with dark green ambition, for example. Colour changes are not uncommon as different emotions gain more or less importance. Also, these crystals appear as the shape the mind expects them to be. What you see as a heart, I see as a sphere.” The Deacon gestured down at his chest but he was still staring at Ash. 

“Hmmm, you _are_ strong. I can respect that and see the appeal to this vessel, I guess.” His eyes moved to Mad who was standing next to him. “But a son sired with this man would have the potential to be exceptionally powerful indeed.” Mad blinked in shock before he noticed the daggers that Ash was shooting in his direction, making Mad gesture towards the Deacon as if to say _‘Don’t look at me, it’s not my idea!’_. Sakuto moved closer to Ash in case he had to intervene and Opera cleared her throat to try and get the discussion back on track.

“So, what happened here? What happened to Psions and magic?” She asked and the Deacon’s expression dropped from aloof amusement to a blind rage. He let loose a string of words in an unfamiliar language, their best guess was it was Ancient Greek or a rare dialect of it at least.

“We were betrayed by our own!” The Deacon finally continued in a language they could understand, he stood up from the couch and began to pace restlessly. “Unlike your ‘Hearts’ when a ‘Krene’ runs dry, the Psion in question dies.” That statement hit them all like a physical slap to the face, Dee had come perilously close to emptying her ‘Heart’ when she replenished Lory’s power, escaping death (twice!) by a hair’s breadth.

“As you can imagine, proper power management is essential for a good Psion, we could and often did transfer power between ourselves in emergencies but it still limited what spells could be used and how frequently. But I had come up with a brilliant plan to access the untapped magic that resided in the ‘Krenes’ of female Mutes. I’d invented a process to remove them from the otherwise useless Mutes and transfer the magic from them into my own.” Noir shared a look with Opera, this was beginning to sound _very_ familiar.

“My brother, Aegeus, did not approve of my plan, he was weak hearted and far too fond of the Mutes. He tried to dissuade me but when that didn’t work, he snuck into my workshop and swapped my staff for _that_ one!” The Deacon gestured angrily at the caduceus on the wall. “As soon as I touched it, I was sealed inside and powerless! But that wasn’t even the greatest insult. To prevent any other Psion using or continuing my research, Aegeus took up his pipes to cast a powerful spell that Muted the whole world! The blithering fool emptied his own ‘Krene’ in the process.”

“Psions were already rare as it was, too many die young from improper management of their ‘Krenes’. Those that didn’t accept their demotion perished under the effects of Aegeus’ spell while trying to break it. Those that remained lived as Mutes. Tales of Psions became warped and twisted from countless retellings, until we were cast as gods and magic was believed to be pure myth, nothing more.” The Deacon was looking down at the floor, his hands clenched tightly, his body shaking in his indignation before he looked up again.

“But not anymore! Now that I’m free I can work out how to break Aegeus’ spell and establish a new magical empire! Thank you very much for releasing me, but I will take my leave of you now. I know you won’t stop me; you all seem too fond of my vessel to cause her any harm.” The Deacon laughed cruelly and gave a sarcastic little bow before straightening up. He made to take a step and jerked awkwardly as his body seemed to disobey him, so he tried again with a similar result.

“Child, I am the most powerful Psion who ever lived, do you really think you can stand in my way?” The Deacon stated in a cool voice that was simmering with condescension and anger. Sakuto smiled as he noticed his eye colour shifting between green and brown as he tried to take another step.

“That might be so, but Dee is the most strong willed person I’ve ever met, and there’s no way she’s going to just allow you to steal her body to go and take over the world.” Noir smirked and folded his arms over his chest, glad to see some signs that Dee was still in there, he’d been starting to get more than a little concerned. The Deacon growled as he struggled, listing to the side, trying to assert mental dominance but Dee was fighting him with everything she had.

It was a bizarre battle to watch from the outside, the Deacon jerked from left to right, sometimes taking a step forward, sometimes being dragged back. The others didn’t know what to do to help, or how to intervene without possibly making matters worse. It was Ash who spotted the danger first when the Deacon stumbled towards the opened window. Ash moved in a blur, his hand grasping a wrist a moment after the Deacon toppled out of it while Ash’s other hand braced against the window frame.

“Are you alright?” He asked in a gasp, relieved beyond belief at the brown eyes staring up at him. Dee nodded breathlessly, she tightened her fingers around his wrist and Ash pulled her back inside. Both of them ended up sat on the floor together as they caught their breaths from the near miss. Sakuto knelt down in front of Dee and stared deeply into her eyes.

“Dee, are you ok? Where is the Deacon?” He asked, noticing that neither Ash or Dee had let go of the other’s hand but he didn’t bring attention to that fact. Dee pushed herself up to her feet unsteadily, she glanced nervously towards the curator but he was still blissfully unaware of anything.

“He’s still in here… and he is _not_ happy. But I’m in control now, he surprised me before when he jumped into me so I wasn’t prepared to fight him off. Then I was happy to let him talk for a bit.” Dee winced a little like she had a headache and she suddenly gave a hysterical little laugh. “Well, I hope you all found that enlightening but I’ve been fucking possessed. Now what?” Mad summoned a soothing cup of chamomile and lemon balm tea and pressed it into her shaking hands.

“If you think you are up to holding him back, then you let us worry about that part.”


	17. Chapter Seventeen

It was night time in Wonderland and Noir was nearing the Wandering Woods, he wanted to check on how Dee was coping with her new unwelcome passenger. It had been decided that for the time being, it would be safer if someone was with Dee at all times, just in case the Deacon was able to wrest control of Dee’s body from her and attempted to abscond with it. Noir spotted Joker leaning against a tree with his arms folded, looking up at the stars.

“Where’s Dee? I thought you were supposed to be with her for now?” Noir asked with a confused look. Joker gestured a little way away, towards a tree with a large hollow at the base of it where they could just about see one denim covered leg. Noir was struck with the realisation that it was the same hiding place Dee had chosen a year ago where they’d had their first proper conversation with each other. When she had shared some of her past and he’d told her his identity and plans.

“She wanted to be alone for a bit, said she’s got a lot on her mind. This way I can give her space and keep an eye on her at the same time.” Joker explained with a small frown. “All that information today was a lot to take in, and it has to be mentally tiring to have another voice in your head constantly.” Noir nodded in understanding, he walked over to the tree and crouched down besides the hollow.

“What are you doing in there?” Noir asked in the same tone he’d used all that time ago, though he was unable to bring himself to use the term ‘Alice’ like he had back then. Dee had been leaning back with her eyes closed but they snapped open at his voice.

“Hiding. I should have known there was nowhere to hide in Wonderland.” Dee smiled as she replied with the same words she had back then. Noir crawled into the hollow and Dee moved to make room for him. “You know, the Deacon didn’t tell you the whole truth about why Aegeus sealed him away. Aegeus was married to a Mute, a woman called Kaliope and they had two sons together. The Deacon stole her ‘Krene’ and she died once he’d drained it of magic. Aegeus was completely heartbroken.”

“I’ll bet he was, no wonder he sought revenge. So, it still killed her even though the crystal had been taken away?” Noir asked, he moved in the hollow so he was sitting next to Dee, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she nodded. “How did you find that out? Did the Deacon tell you?”

“Not all of it, I keep seeing flashes of his memories but whether he’s calling them forth or I am is hard to tell.” Dee had tried to block the Deacon out but while that worked for short periods, as soon as her attention wavered, he was back again so Dee decided just to save her energy. “They were brothers but they weren’t brought up together. Aegeus had a lot more contact with Mutes on a day to day basis so that’s probably why he saw them as equals.”

“Whereas the Deacon saw them as inferior beings to Psions and had no problem with using them as a means to an end.” Noir frowned a little, he’d never look down on someone just because they couldn’t use magic. There were many useful skills in the world apart from the ability to cast spells. “It was a good thing that Aegeus stopped him then.”

“On that, I agree, what I’m less certain about is the unilateral decision to effectively ban magic completely. I’m struggling with the fact that my bloodline is responsible for the fact magic can no longer work in my world. My forefather was the one who did it and my uncle was the reason why.” Dee rubbed her temples with a wince, the Deacon rarely ever shut up and she had a constant headache. Heaven knows how she was going to get any sleep tonight.

“Aegeus did what he felt he had to. We don’t know what the other Psions were like, whether they were likely to try and use the Mutes in the same way or not. It’s not for us to pass judgement on him and it’s certainly not something that you should feel guilty about.” Noir pulled Dee into his side, the night was a little chilly and she was only wearing the same t-shirt and jeans from earlier in the day. He snapped the fingers of his free hand and a blanket appeared that he wrapped around the shoulders of the pair of them.

“I’m trying not to, it’s just hard no- Will you shut it for just a minute, please?! Geez! I wonder if this is what it feels like to be schizophrenic?” Dee sighed and grit her teeth; she was so tired of his presence already, it was unreal. “If I’m honest, it’s more the things that the Deacon did to the Mutes to further his research that bothers me, he treated them like lab rats and worse.”

“You aren’t the Deacon, Dee, any more than I am my father or Bill is his.” Noir told her seriously, remembering when he’d had a similar personal crisis when confronted with the cruelties the former Black King was capable of. “I don’t believe capacity for selfishness or brutality is something that’s genetic at all. If you don’t like what your ancestors were or did, then make sure not to follow their example and hold yourself to a higher standard.”

“You’re nothing like him, Noir, he only cared about his own ambition and glory. You want the people of Gentiana to be happy and prosper but not at the expense of others.” Dee assured him, trying not to recall the painful memories that she would always associate with that tyrant. But it had never once occurred to her to blame Noir for what she’d suffered.

“And you are nothing like the Deacon. You are constantly going out of your way to help Wonderland stay in existence, often at the cost of your health and very nearly your life.” Noir replied in the same tone, giving her a firm squeeze. “Though that does sound a lot like what Aegeus did, so perhaps that’s where you get your predilection for self-sacrifice from.” Dee huffed a little in amusement and settled against Noir’s warmth a little more.

“Maybe. I’m more intrigued by the fact he used his panpipes to cast spells. The Deacon used a staff, most Psions did but there were a few exceptions to the rule.” Dee yawned, blinking her eyes tiredly as she covered her mouth. “He keeps going on at me to find the pipes, he reckons that destroying them could lift the magic ban. But that would be like looking for a needle in a haystack, even if I was inclined to go find them, which I’m not.”

“Here, lie down.” Noir snapped his fingers to summon a pillow and manoeuvred Dee so she was lying down with her head in his lap. He draped the blanket over her and smoothed her hair from her face. “Get some sleep while you can, you must be exhausted from dealing with all this and everything we found out today.” Dee made a small affirmative noise as she curled up on her side, already mostly asleep. Even the unwelcome chattering couldn’t keep her awake.

Outside the hollow, Joker was still standing as a silent sentinel. He was glad that Noir had been able to comfort Dee enough for her to relax. There was no telling the sorts of dark places her thoughts could go to when left to her own devices in these difficult times, and that was without a malevolent foreign consciousness along for the ride.

“Are you planning to just lurk there all night?” Joker asked aloud, having noticed the presence hiding in the shadows ages ago. There was a rustle of leaves and branches as Ash revealed himself and he took up the spot next to Joker. “You’re slipping, mate, even a blind dodo bird would have known you were there.” The dig had its intended effect as Ash chuckled lightly.

“That’s too harsh… your eyesight isn’t _that_ bad, Joker.” Ash shot back, taking the half punch to his upper arm with a grin. Joker smirked at him, pleased to see Ash’s sense of humour finally making an appearance after recent events. He settled back against the trunk of the tree again and feigned an air of nonchalance.

“You know, Opera told me something interesting earlier. She said Dee’s ‘Heart’ is still replenishing it’s magic… at a slower rate, granted, but still.” Joker glanced towards Ash and he simply shrugged his shoulders as if to say _‘Why are you telling me that?’_ , making Joker grunt in annoyance. “Think about it for a second, doesn’t that tell you that whatever she’s doing, she’s doing it out of love for you?”

“You should try to talk to her again, and don’t give up until she finally tells you why she thinks letting you go is the kindest thing she can do.” Joker rolled his eyes in frustration at Ash staying resolutely tight lipped. These two were going to be the death of him. “Before all this, what would you have done if someone turned up and made a play for Dee?” Ash looked surprised at the change of topic.

“I’d have fought for her, obviously… and if she chose the other guy despite my best efforts, so be it.” Ash answered honestly, shoving his hands in his pockets with a small little shrug. “I wouldn’t be particularly pleased about it but at least I’d know I gave it my all… but if Dee was happy, I could live with that.” Joker smiled to himself, that was what he’d been hoping to hear.

“Right, so why don’t you fight now? You can’t say that you gave it your best shot, not yet at any rate. It shouldn’t make a difference that it’s Dee herself you are fighting and not some other guy.” Joker gestured towards the hollow. “Because she’s not happy right now, anyone can see that, neither one of you are.” Ash let out a shuddering exhale and Joker realised he was losing control of his emotions.

“She specifically denied saying that she didn’t love me anymore so that’s not the problem. What if I can’t convince her to tell me what her real reasons are? What if I can’t get her to change her mind? It already hurts so much; I don’t want to make it worse.” Ash turned his body away from Joker, rubbing at his eyes with the end of his scarf. Joker sighed and gave Ash’s back a sympathetic look.

“Obviously I can’t promise how this is going to go, but at least you’ll know you fought for what you wanted. This is how life works; you try and you hope. It hurts but the chance of getting back the girl you love has got to be worth the sting.” Joker was filled with the urge to smack Dee upside the back of her head, a familiar feeling lately due to her completely incomprehensible actions regarding Ash.

They stood like that for a few minutes, Ash’s shoulders shaking to a greater or lesser degree as he considered what his next move should be and the possible consequences. Joker threw one last glance at the hollow, deciding that Dee should be alright for now, Noir was with her at any rate. Someone else needed him to distract them right at this moment.

“Come on, it’s obvious nothing is gonna happen tonight. Dee’s asleep and you’re a wreck, let’s head back to the dorm. I’ve got a nice bottle of 12 year old scotch that I’ve been looking for an excuse to open and someone to drink it with.” Joker clapped Ash roughly on the shoulder and pushed him along, not waiting for an answer.


	18. Chapter Eighteen

Dee hummed to herself as she put the fairy cakes that she’d made in today’s class into a tub. She hadn’t tried to make anything more difficult because it was hard to think straight at times with the Deacon making a nuisance of himself inside her mind. Dee was so absorbed with her thoughts that she didn’t notice Ash walking in or Irena making herself scarce after sharing a nod with her nephew.

“We need to talk.” Ash’s voice made Dee jump, the cake that was in her hand hitting the table top before rolling off and on to the floor. Dee bent down to pick it up and put it in the bin rather than answering. “At the very least I think I deserve to know the real reason behind why you broke it off with me.”

“I told you, I don’t see us lasting and it’s stupid to put energy into something that is going to come to nothing in the end.” Dee answered him, lifting the cupcake tray and pouring the remaining fairy cakes into the tub willy-nilly. She clipped the lid on, tucked it under her arm and turned to walk swiftly out of the room. Dee was painfully aware that Ash was following her but he didn’t speak again until they reached the practice fields.

“Fine, if you won’t talk to me… then spar with me.” That statement made Dee freeze and she turned around slowly, not quite believing what she’d just heard. “I mean it. You and me, right here, right now. Do this one last thing for me, at least.” Dee blinked at him but he steadfastly held her gaze. Alright, when he put it that way, how could she refuse?

“Ok, just give me a chance to warm up to make it a fair fight. Do you have any of the yellow safety powder?” Dee asked as she went to stow her cakes away. Ash nodded, he kept some with the practice swords in case someone dropped by for a show battle for the kids. Ash was about to get a longsword when Dee called out to him. “Don’t. Use your own sword, we do this properly or we don’t do it at all.”

Ash understood the additional subtext to that sentence. _‘I won’t forgive you if you go easy on me.’_ He got out the small pouch of powder and placed it in his pocket while he stretched out the muscles in his arms and checked the wrapping on the hilt of his sword wasn’t likely to come loose. Dee’s warm up was more extensive but efficient. When she was ready, she stood in front of him with her stiletto drawn as he sprinkled the magic powder on it. There was an air of excitement crackling around them, they had never sparred with each other before.

With both blades treated, the pair of them took their places a few paces away from one another. Dee readied her stance, holding her dagger with her preferred backhand grip. Ash looked as placid as a summer breeze, holding his greatsword with both hands like it weighed almost nothing. They watched each other for a long moment, the tension building like a pending thunderstorm.

Ash darted forward, swinging his sword but Dee had expected this and she rolled to the left to avoid the arc of the blade. She planted her feet and sprung at Ash’s exposed back but he half-turned and threw his shoulder back to deflect her. Dee jumped backwards and focused on trying to anticipate Ash’s next move, she’d never beat him in a straight up contest of power so she had to stay out of his range, defend as necessary and strike when presented with a chance.

When Ash swung high at her head, Dee ducked the blade and took two quick steps towards him, thrusting her dagger at his throat. Dee grinned despite herself when one of Ash’s leather gloved hands left the hilt to punch her knife upwards at the last moment. She had gathered up the flapping end of his scarf with her free hand and threw it in Ash’s face so she could jump out of arm’s reach before he recovered his balance enough to grab and pin her.

“Playing dirty? Have you no honour, milady?” Ash was chuckling in amusement once he got himself untangled. He tore his scarf off and tossed it aside so it couldn’t be used against him again. Dee waited patiently for him at a safe distance, her breathing slightly elevated as she shrugged at him unapologetically.

“Joker taught me everything I know, there’s no such thing as honour on the battlefield. Just winners and losers, good sir.” Dee answered, all the tactics Joker had taught her had been to maximise her strengths and cover her weaknesses. Dodge the strike, counterattack and if that failed, retreat to await another chance.

With that said, she rushed at Ash before he had fixed his stance again. He scrambled to ready his sword for what he had expected to be a full-frontal attack. But just before Dee got in range of his greatsword, she used her momentum to roll forward and to the left, springing up like a jack-in-the-box to slash at his neck. Ash’s instincts saved him as he threw himself on to all fours, flipping on to his back in just enough time to plant his foot in Dee’s stomach as she lunged for him and tossed her across the field.

Dee was laughing at having her own move used against her as she clambered gracelessly to her feet, hoping to have a window of opportunity before Ash readied himself again but he had jumped up and already had both hands on the hilt of his greatsword. He was grinning too, both of them were filthy from the dust and grit sticking to their sweat soaked bodies and not even the Deacon could distract Dee from this glorious match.

When Ash charged at her this time, he swung at her legs which Dee avoided with an impressive one handed cartwheel in the opposite direction of where the blade arced. But Ash reversed his swing just as Dee’s feet touched the ground again. There was a loud clang as Ash’s greatsword hit a barrier, the vibrations shaking through his hands and up his arms. The pair of them jumped backwards from each other to regroup and reassess.

“You are getting very good at those.” Ash commented, that would have been a winning blow without Dee’s power. Fighting a magic user in hand to hand combat always threw up additional challenges. He had once watched Mad cast a spell on a whole regiment of enemy soldiers that made them down weapons and have a tea party instead. So, he knew to expect the unexpected.

“Yes, they work in a pinch and I seem to be able to do them without having to think about it too hard.” Dee replied, shaking her sweat soaked hair out of her face, wishing she’d tied it back before they’d started. Regular training had improved her stamina greatly but her energy was flagging and she had no doubt that Ash could tell, this next exchange could very well decide this battle.

Dee rushed at Ash, dodging easily when he swung his greatsword at her in a slashing motion. His flank was exposed so he was forced to jump sideways to get away from her stiletto. As he did so, the top half of his sword dragged across the ground and Dee leapt on it with both feet and all her weight. Ash’s complete surprise gave Dee an opening and she leaned in with her dagger, literally going for the jugular.

With a shout of effort, Ash tightened his grip on the hilt and lifted his sword with all his strength, turning to use his whole body in the swing. Dee yelped in shock as her forward momentum and centre of gravity meant that she was physically thrown as if Ash had just swung a lacrosse stick and she was the ball. Dee tossed her knife away to protect from an accidental impaling when she landed, finding herself with a mouthful of dust as she rolled on her back.

“Alright Alright! I give! You won!” Dee was giggling uncontrollably as she sat up, adrenaline and endorphins coursing through her blood. “Anyone who can fling their opponent away using their sword _clearly_ wants to win more!” Ash sheathed his weapon and jogged over, offering Dee his hand and pulled her back to her feet.

“It was a good match; you knew how to neutralise the natural advantages I had over you with my strength and weapon range.” Ash commented with a wide genuine smile as Dee glanced around for where her stiletto had ended up. The pair of them looked like they’d been rolling around in the sand, which they had been up to a point.

“Yes, it’s good to spar with someone that can force you out of your comfort zone. I’m very used to countering a fellow knife user and a dual wielder because of Joker.” Dee found her dagger and replaced it back in her scabbard. “I knew I had exactly zero margin of error with you so I couldn’t take any silly risks. I really wouldn’t mind doing this again at some point, we can learn a lot from one another.”

“There was a time when we made a promise to always bring the best out of each other.” Ash reminded Dee softly, a small sad smile on his face as he looked at her. He knew he wasn’t the only one that felt that unspoken chemistry that had flared up between them again as they’d faced off together. Ash didn’t understand why Dee seemed determined to pour cold water all over them.

“That’s what I’ve been _trying_ to do.” Dee muttered as she began to dust off her arms, she froze rigid for a split second before she gritted her teeth with a frustrated groan. “For God’s sake! I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” The excitement and exertion from the sparring match had evidently loosened her tongue. Ash was staring at her with a raised eyebrow, folding his arms across his chest, clearly waiting for some sort of explanation. The silence stretched out between them.

“I hope you realise that neither of us are moving from this spot until you tell me what you mean by that. Because I fail to see how us not being together is going to bring the best out of me rather than the exact opposite.” Ash spoke finally, watching as Dee looked at anything except him. The fact she was fatigued was probably the only reason she hadn’t bolted away by now. 

“I don’t know if it’s my reaction that you are frightened of or what, but I thought you said you wouldn’t let your fear rule you anymore? What happened to that, huh?” He knew he was being deliberately provocative but he needed to do something and coercion had already failed miserably. Dee took a deep breath and Ash imagined he could physically see the moment when she finally conceded defeat.

“I’ve not told you this before but I was sitting behind my mother in the car the day of the accident. It was a head on collision and I was trapped when her seat was shunted into me. The pull-down tray on the back of the seat caused… serious abdominal injuries.” Dee’s voice was small, it was still difficult to talk about that day even so many years after the fact. “There were tears, perforations and massive internal bleeding. I lost part of my small intestines… and the whole of my uterus.”

“You can’t have children.” Ash stated in a quiet breath after a moment. Finally, everything became clear, like wiping the condensation off of a window. He understood what Dee had been trying to do. She’d been pushing him away so he could have something that she couldn’t give him but trying to do it in a way that didn’t force him to make a conscious choice of one over the other. Ash felt a huge upswell of emotion inside him.

“You really do love me. I’ve been so afraid that you didn’t anymore.” Ash sniffed, tears streaming from his eyes even though he was wearing the biggest grin he’d had in weeks. “So when you kept saying it was selfish to keep me, it was because of this and not because you weren’t serious about me. You wrapped the truth up in with the lies in the hopes it made it more believable.” Dee still wouldn’t look at him, shaking her head insistently.

“You can lie to yourself all you like but you can’t lie to me. Not anymore.” Ash approached Dee and took her by the shoulders, turning her to face him. “You want to be with me, you care about me and you love me. I feel the exact same way, nothingelse matters. Nothing at all!” Dee’s eyes filled with tears as she shook her head again.

“This is exactly what I was scared would happen if I told you the truth. You are phenomenal with kids; you will make the most amazing father someday.” Dee broke away from Ash’s grip, wiping her eyes with a frustrated snuffle. “I don’t have the _right_ to take that chance away from you.” She turned her back to him but Ash grabbed her wrist before she could walk away from him again.

“Dee, you don’t have the right to make that decision _for me_.” Ash tugged at Dee and pulled her into his chest. He wrapped one arm around Dee’s waist to press their bodies together while he raised the other hand to cup her cheek, smearing her tears across it with his thumb. “I choose you.” Ash whispered to her before he pressed his lips to hers. 

Dee sobbed in to the kiss even as she returned it, wrapping her arms around Ash’s neck and she stopped trying to resist his embrace. She had tried _so hard_ to do the right thing by Ash but she couldn’t pretend that this wasn’t exactly where she wanted to be anymore.

“I’m sorry that I hurt you, it killed me to see you in so much pain but I really thought it was for the best.” Dee burbled when the kiss finally broke. Ash shushed her as he led them over to where he’d thrown his scarf earlier. He picked it up and used it to gently clean the tears and grit from both of their faces.

“It’s ok, I understand now… and I can see how what happened with Cardia brought what could happen in the future into focus.” Ash let his fingertips trace over the back of Dee’s shoulder where he knew her memorial tattoo was, feeling that pang of loss and grief in his heart again.

“Yes. I hadn’t given much thought to any family plans before, obviously I knew we’d have to have that conversation eventually but I was ok with putting that off for later. But losing Cardia made me realise that you never know what’s just around the corner.” Dee leaned into Ash, speaking into his chest as she inhaled the scent that she hadn’t realised she would miss so much. “Then you can probably work out the route my thoughts took after that.” Ash made an affirmative noise as he rested his chin on the top of her head.

“Just… don’t try and decide what’s best for me in future, ok? And I promise not to do the same for you if it comes to it.” He pulled back so he could look in her eyes, smiling when Dee gave him an emphatic nod and one of her world brightening smiles. “Come on, I don’t know about you but I could use a shower but I’m not ready to let go of you now I’ve finally got my arms around you again.” Dee laughed at hearing that but both their phones went off before they took a step.

:: Just had word that Marley and the remaining BW operatives are digging in for a last stand in Ebonia. I’m taking some loyal troops there now to hopefully deal the final blow before they can prepare themselves, so this is a heads up for anyone who wants to see this through to the end. :: 

“Rain check on that shower?” Dee asked as she looked up from Noir’s message. “I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t miss this for the world.” Ash smiled as he lifted his hand to stroke Dee’s face and pressed an understanding and agreeing kiss to her forehead.

“Me neither. Come on, let’s finish this… for Cardia.”


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger Warnings: Violence.

Dee and Ash met up with Noir and the others a short distance from the outskirts of Ebonia village. The pair of them knew from the raised eyebrows that they must look like one hell of a state with their dishevelled and filthy appearances. Though the fact they were holding hands didn’t go unnoticed either and the group released an almost collective sigh of relief.

“We were sparring at the school. Ash won, but not as easily as you’d probably think.” Dee said in explanation as she brushed some dust off her jeans to little effect, fully aware of the multiple meanings that could be attributed to her words. Joker snorted in laughter but he gave Ash a harder than necessary congratulatory smack on the back.

“Sparring? Is that what they are calling it these days?” Noir teased with an evil grin before swiftly turning to the matter at hand. “Right, so this is what we know. The Black Wave have taken advantage of the flood walls that already circle Ebonia to try and turn the village into a fortress. The innocent townspeople who want nothing to do with this will be pulled into a siege situation if we’re not careful.”

“I want to hit now before they have a chance to really entrench their positions. I’ve got a number of my knights with me and you’re all here so I think we can do it. As far as the scouts can tell, Marley has instituted a sort of martial law with non-militants ordered to stay home while his men build defences.” Noir knelt down and sketched a rough outline of the village into the ground, marking the walls at specific places. 

“I think we should split ourselves into three and scale the walls simultaneously at these points. Once inside then the plan is to make our way to the mayor’s manor where Marley is holed up with what remains of his backers.” Noir marked out the position of the building. “Everyone the troops meet on the streets should be a Black Wave operative but be sure to check your targets and aim to incapacitate not kill where possible.”

With the plan set, the group divided into three along with the Black Knights. They moved into position at the outer walls of Ebonia. Dee shifted her weight from one foot to the other in nervous anticipation as they waited for the signal. 

“There it is!” A knight shouted when he saw a flaming arrow high in the sky. Grappling hooks were thrown on to the wall and they climbed the sheer stone wall in front of them with ropes. Dee hauled herself on to the top and looked for somewhere safe to jump down to, spotting a hay bale that broke her fall nicely.

Once she was back on her feet, she drew her stiletto and took stock of the situation. This wasn’t much of a battle, more of a rout, The Black Wave only had a handful of members now after Sable fell. At least a third of those that hadn’t been captured had since deserted, deciding to save their own skins than risk it all for an increasingly unlikely reward.

Those militants that were on the streets fought to the best of their abilities but they were outnumbered and it didn’t take long to round them all up in the village square. After making sure the prisoners were disarmed and restrained, Noir turned his attention to the manor. The thick wooden doors were barred from the inside so he called out loudly.

“Marley! I know you are in there, there’s nowhere to go so you might as well surrender quietly. It’s over.” One of the balcony doors was kicked open once Noir had finished speaking and Marley strode out, he had a bottle of rum in one hand and a lit cigar in the other. He swayed slightly as he leaned on the railings, glaring down at the troops on his doorstep.

“Aye, you’re right that it’s over… it was over in Sable.” Marley growled out as he took a long draw from his cigar, exhaling the smoke out above his head. “I knew there was no coming back from that defeat… there was nothing left but to make sure I went out with a bang.” Ice pooled in Dee’s stomach as Marley produced a glass sphere full of pitch with a fuse, he touched his cigar to the wick and threw the incendiary bomb at the thatched roof of a nearby house.

“Watch it! We need to evacuate the townspeople!” Bill shouted as the flames quickly caught hold but Marley wasn’t finished yet. He stuffed a strip of fabric torn from his shirt into the neck of the bottle of rum he was carrying and lit that too, launching it into a stack of haybales that had been used as an improvised siege fortification. Noir was shouting orders to his knights, trying to bring the fire under control before it got out of hand.

The mages worked in tandem to fight and contain the blaze while Dee banged on the doors of houses to evacuate the citizens. Unfortunately, the captured militants used the chaos to stage a renewed fight back. The first ones to get free of their bonds untied the others, stealing back their weapons and taking a position in front of the only gate out of Ebonia.

“Those bastards are going to trap all the civilians in here with the fire.” Ash cursed angrily when he saw what they were up to. He drew his greatsword. “Dee, you try and get the townspeople as far away from the fire as possible and I’ll deal with the road block!” Dee nodded to show her understanding and Ash charged down the central path with a war cry.

“Over here!” Sakuto called from somewhere on Dee’s right. He was standing in an open and grassy area that was most likely used for sports and festivals. “This is as far away from the buildings as we can get inside the walls!” Dee agreed and corralled the frightened citizens in that direction as she turned to see where else she was needed.

Despite their efforts, the blaze was spreading. A strong spring breeze kept picking up embers from one roof and carrying them to the next. The village’s solitary well wasn’t made to tackle something like this. Each bucket of water was as effective as throwing a snowball at an erupting volcano. Dee spotted Mad dragging Opera back from where part of a house had collapsed as the support beams burned through.

“We have to do something before the whole place burns to the ground! I should have called the rain!” Opera coughed and wiped the sweat from her face, leaving a streak of ash across her forehead. Mad had shed his normal overcoat in the overwhelming heat, his two ties hanging undone around his neck as he kept a close watch on the raging inferno so they didn’t get cut off and trapped.

“Protecting the people is more important than the buildings. We’ve wasted too much energy trying to keep the fire back. I could cast a barrier around the civilians but I don’t know if I could hold it for as long as we’d need.” Mad looked worriedly to where the townspeople were cowering on the sports field with Joker and Sakuto guarding them and doing their best to keep them calm. If the crowd panicked it could be just as dangerous as the blaze or the remaining Black Wave operatives.

Bill was covering Ash who was singlehandedly assaulting the militants at the gate, if he could clear the way then everyone could escape the path of the flames. Ruber and Noir were still holding back the fire but both were showing clear signs of fatigue. Dee bit her lip, things were looking dire, they were literally fire-fighting on too many fronts at once. Suddenly Dee had a brainwave and she ran over to Mad and Opera, skidding to a stop in front of them.

“Take my power!” Dee had to shout over the crackle and roar of the fire but she grabbed Opera’s hand with her left and Mad’s with her right. The three of them immediately gained that familiar soft aura of white light as Dee allowed them to absorb the power from her ‘Heart’. “Then you’ll have enough juice to protect the townspeople until Ash clears the gate and Opera can cast a more powerful spell.”

“But what about the Deacon? You probably won’t be able to hold him back as well with your energy drained!” Opera exclaimed; her eyes fixed on Dee’s chest to make sure she didn’t empty her crystal, justifiably paranoid about it now she knew it was a matter of life and death to Dee. Mad looked equally concerned and he almost tugged his hand away but Dee tightened her grip around his fingers to stop him.

“Don’t worry about it! I supressed him once, I can do it again!” Dee gave them her best smile to reassure them. She could feel that creeping tiredness again, hitting her limits. She could only hope that the boost she provided was enough. “Just trust me! Now go!” Dee dropped their hands and moved behind the two of them, pushing them away. She darted behind the tavern so she was out of sight before falling to her hands and knees with a gasp and blood dripping from her nose.

Mad rushed over to the sports green and cast an immediate protective barrier, barking at Sakuto and Joker to go and help Ash at the gate. Opera shouted at Ruber and Noir to pull back as she used her staff to form a complicated symbol in the air, her eyes glowed as her lips spoke the unfamiliar syllables of an ancient elemental language.

When Opera struck the ground with her staff, a massive storm cloud covered the sky, thunder rumbling as rain started pouring down. The torrents quenched the flames and had the added benefit of making neighbouring buildings and structures too wet to catch alight. It took a few minutes but finally the blaze went out, leaving smouldering and smoking ruins in its wake.

Meanwhile, Ash and the others had managed to break through the defensive line in front of the gate. Joker and Sakuto pulled the doors wide open and the scared townspeople headed for safety en mass while Mad did his best to keep them calm and prevent a stampede as the knights set about recapturing the militants.

After all that, Ruber had had just about enough of Marley so she pointed her sceptre at the doors of the manor and blasted them open with an explosive ball. Noir and her were joined by Ash, Sakuto and Joker as they made their way into the building. Mad, Opera and the knights having the situation outside well in hand. As they made their way cautiously through the halls, they came across the bodies of several men in the meeting hall.

“They’ve all been killed with a sword.” Noir stated as Joker knelt down to move one of the men on to his back avoiding the pool of blood soaking into the floor. “I recognise a few of them, they used to run some of the seedier bookmaking and casino establishments before I took the throne. That one used to run a cartel of ‘protection’ and that’s a known smuggler. These have to be the funders.” 

“Well I’d put money on the fact that they didn’t sign up for the scorched land approach and Marley ran them through before they could backstab him and open the doors.” Joker stated grimly as he got to his feet. The group cautiously swept through the rest of the ground floor before heading up the stairs, there was little need for searching and stealth as they could hear Marley tearing up the master bedroom.

Ash led the way and kicked open the door, entering with his sword drawn but the man was hardly a threat, so drunk that he lost his balance when he swung his cutlass at them. He fell heavily against one of the bedposts as he let rip a string of curses that would have made a sailor’s ears bleed, his sword falling to the floor with a clang.

“Damn you all to hell! This may be the end of The Black Wave but you won’t take me alive!” Marley growled at them, pulling a knife from his sleeve. But before he could draw it across his own throat, an arrow embedded itself in the back of his hand, forcing Marley to drop the blade with a howl of pain. Ash and Joker took the chance to pounce, wrestling the man down to the ground and kneeling on his back. Bill revealed himself from behind the drapes, having scaled the façade of the building and entered via the balcony.

“That’s just like you to try and avoid facing up to your responsibilities or the consequences of your actions.” Bill scowled down at his father in disgust. “You can rot in prison for the rest of your life for all I care. But it’s up to the state of Gentiana to decide your fate, not me and certainly not you.” Bill then walked briskly out of the room without another word, Sakuto following him a beat later.

Mad and Opera ran up to them when the group exited the manor with Marley safely disarmed and restrained. It looked like Ebonia had lost roughly half of its houses, mostly those closest to the mayor’s manor. But thanks to the quick thinking and actions of those involved, there had been no loss of civilian life and very few injuries on their side.

“Is Dee with you guys?” Mad asked, alarm flaring in his face as he physically saw that she wasn’t. “Damnit! The Deacon must have run off with her body after she gave me and Opera enough power to turn the situation around. I’ll have to close the door to the Other World; we can’t have him going there and trying to escape to Greece or wherever.”

“Hang on, there’s an easier way than that.” Noir interrupted him, snapping his fingers and Dee’s hand mirror dropped in to his waiting palm, he passed it over to Ash for safe keeping. “He can’t go anywhere without that. Let me just tell the knights what to do with the prisoners and make some arrangements for the homeless townspeople and then we can go track him down, he can’t have gone too far.”


	20. Chapter Twenty

“How can you be barren?! You do realise that you are quite possibly the last of the Psions? Not to mention actually _being_ the last of our bloodline!” The Deacon had been marching aimlessly as he shouted, occasionally drawing up short when Dee was able to gain control for a moment or two. “There must be something that can be done to overcome this calamity!” He closed his eyes to try and find a solution in Dee’s memories.

“Will you stop raking through my mind like that?! I already feel sick enough as it is without you rummaging around in there and disorientating me even more!” Dee’s voice broke through and she put a hand out to a nearby tree to steady herself. She used her free hand to grab the hem of her t-shirt, using it to wipe the blood from her face. 

“Pathetic little girl.” The Deacon growled in disgust. He had taken advantage of Dee passing out behind the tavern to take control of her body, climbing on some ale barrels to escape over the wall. However, it hadn’t been too long before she had come around and started mentally resisting him. 

“What kind of Psion can’t do an energy transfer at a decent speed without fainting? I am completely ashamed to call you my niece.” The Deacon clenched his fists tightly as his anger built, filling his voice with vitriol. “Our once illustrious line reduced to _this_? What a worthless little wretch that can’t even bear children, even a Mute would be more use than you.”

“Shut up! Just. Shut. Up!” Dee’s voice shook with emotion, the words cut deep as they were meant to. The Deacon knew her mind inside out, knew her weaknesses, fears and how to use them against her. So, he took aim at her at times fragile self-esteem and scored a direct hit. Dee heard footsteps and span on her heel, her brown eyes flashing in surprise before they turned green again.

“I’d stand back if I were you.” The Deacon whipped out Dee’s dagger and pressed the point hard against her sternum. Everyone froze and the Deacon grinned at them in juxtaposition to his tear stained cheeks. “Very good. Looks like she’s useful for something after all.” Joker bristled visibly and took a half step forward but the Deacon tightened his hold on the stiletto to still him.

“Do they know, brat? The others? Shall I tell them for you? You had such trouble telling the warrior, I don’t mind doing this little favour for you.” His eyes flashed brown for a moment along with a flicker of a fearful expression before the green triumphed again and Ash felt the colour drain from his face.

“Tell me, can you still call a woman by that name if she can’t fulfil a female’s most basic function of procreation?” The Deacon’s tone was full of mocking condescension and he let loose a cruel chuckle at hearing Dee’s horrified and humiliated shout echoing inside their shared body.

“You have absolutely _no right_ to blurt out Dee’s secrets like that!” Ash was vibrating with rage, wanting nothing more than to rip that callous presence right out of her with his bare hands. “But in answer to your question. Yes, absolutely. A person is more than their gender or expected gender roles and Dee was, is and will always be an amazing woman, no matter what.”

“Such devotion! It’s sickening really, a weakness that I’m glad I’ve never indulged in.” The Deacon looked down his nose at them with a sniff, having to tilt his head back to accomplish it because of Dee’s lack of height. “Case and point. You are all fond of this vessel, therefore you will do as I ask to see that she remains unharmed.”

He was right, they couldn’t do anything while the Deacon held Dee’s body hostage like this. They needed a plan and time to implement it. Out of the corner of her eye, Ruber spotted Noir take his phone out of his pocket and hold it behind his back with both hands to send a blind text to someone.

“What are your demands?” Ruber put on her most bewitching smile as she addressed the Deacon, recognising the need to stall for time. She walked the few steps to be at the front of the group, swaying her hips and using her commanding presence to make sure the Deacon saw nothing but her.

“I imagine you’ve anticipated at least one of them. I want to break Aegeus’ spell to release the ability to use magic again. Next, I want to track down any other remaining Psions, if we start in what you now call Greece then we should hopefully be able to track down at least one or two.” The Deacon’s eyes trailed over Ruber’s tight black corset with unhidden interest, he may consider love a weakness but even he wasn’t immune to beauty.

“Are you certain you want to release magic back into a world of science? What do you think will happen then? Especially if you are indeed the last of the Psions.” Ruber kept eye contact with the Deacon as she saw a magic circle appear a few feet behind him, her face not reacting. Bill and Sakuto appeared from inside it, and after assessing the situation, silently started to creep up to his back. “You’d be imprisoned and experimented on by scientists, perhaps even dissected or tortured. All horribly unpleasant, I can assure you.”

“With my magic freed they wouldn’t be ab-” The Deacon was cut off when Sakuto and Bill seized both of his arms at the same time. Ruber grabbed for his weapon and prised his fingers off of the hilt to disarm him. The Deacon struggled but couldn’t break away from the strong hands holding him firmly. “Now what? You may have stopped me this time but as long as I inhabit this shell, I’ll take over every single chance I get.”

“Nice work, Noir.” Opera clapped him on the shoulder in praise of his flawless remote teleportation plan. He had sent a message to Sakuto asking for him and Bill to stand to the left of Ebonia’s well so he could summon them here for a surprise attack. “As for you! I wouldn’t get too comfortable in there. Now with the civil war finished with, we’ll have more time to dedicate to figuring out a way to separate you from Dee’s body.” Opera walked over to the Deacon and stared deep into his eyes.

“Are you ok in there, Dee? Do you think you can shut this guy up for us?” She asked in a coaxing voice, ignoring the mocking chuckle her words inspired. Opera knew Dee was tired from transferring magic from her ‘Heart’ but they didn’t want to be forced to lock her up for her own good while the Deacon was in control. 

“Don’t make me laugh, she’s too weak and heartsick to do much of anything right now. I doubt she can even hear you.” The Deacon gloated. A flutter of wings caught their attention as a small bird flew down to them from a nearby tree, there was a flash of light and Lory assumed her true form.

“I have heard quite enough out of you, Diàkonos.” Lory very rarely ventured outside of her glade in person, it was too dangerous usually as she couldn’t risk being seen by any of her citizens. “Your attempts to torment Dee’s psyche into ceding control to you will not go unpunished.”

“This world’s Keystone.” The Deacon’s eyes widened as he stared at Lory, his curiosity meaning he unconsciously stopped struggling against Sakuto and Bill. “You bear a lot of resemblance to Gaia, my world’s Keystone. That would explain the similarities between the systems of magic of Wonderland and Earth. Whether that means all Keystones have a shared beginning remains to be seen, I suppose.”

“Keystone?” Mad repeated in confusion. “Do you mean that the Other World has someone who is the personification and architect of the realm like Lady Lory here?” Noir’s notebook was out in a flash to record this significant new information.

“Yes, ours is named Gaia. She was there in the beginning when there was nothing. She created the world, the animals and the Psions to rule over the lands. Though she has existed for millennia and has never run out of power… unlike some.” The Deacon’s smug smirk dropped as Dee’s voice broke out. “I swear if you don’t stop insulting my friends then I’m going to sing nursery rhymes till your brain leaks out of your ears.”

“Yes, and it seems that the weak link in your world was the inhabitants instead of the Keystone. I mean, come on? Possible instant death after an impulsive spell? Seems a pretty sketchy way to design a race if you ask me.” Joker smiled slyly as he made his dig, watching a flush of embarrassment and anger creep up the Deacon’s neck.

“And if your Keystone really wanted to, I’ll bet it would have been child’s play for her to break Aegeus’ spell. So, what does that tell you?” Noir shrugged with an air of nonchalance. “She must have preferred the Mutes to Psions.”

“Preposterous!” The Deacon bellowed, his face purpling in rage. “There’s no way she would have favoured those weak and useless creatures over us, her _true_ children!” Lory had heard enough and raised her right hand and held it out towards the Deacon, his body freezing rigid.

“You have vastly overstayed your welcome, Diàkonos. Both in my dear friend’s body and in my realm.” Lory concentrated magic in her palm then as she closed her fingers, a dark green orb separated from Dee and her knees buckled immediately. It was only Sakuto and Bill’s arms that kept her upright. Lory brought her other hand up and used it to open something that looked reminiscent of an Infinity Vortex but smaller and airborne.

“Fragment of a thankfully forgotten era, begone and never return.” Lory flicked the wrist of her right hand and the orb flew into the void before Lory closed the vortex up again. Dee had been lowered into a sitting position on the forest floor, Ash behind her to support her weight and Lory knelt before her. “Are you ok? How do you feel?”

“I’m so tired… but it’s finally quiet again. Thank you, Lory, I know you don’t normally like to interfere.” Dee’s voice was weak but her face was full of relief. Her skin was pale and she was still filthy from the two battles that she had participated in today but seemed otherwise unharmed.

“You’re welcome, getting rid of that nuisance for you was the least I could do considering all that you’ve done for me and Wonderland.” Lory smiled warmly as she got to her feet. “I must go, I cannot risk being outside my glade for too long. Rest up and I hope to see you soon.” With that she turned back in to a lorikeet and flew away.

“Ugh, I’m so ridiculously grimy. I need a bath. A bath and a very long nap.” Dee wrinkled her nose in disgust as she looked down at her clothes. She got to her feet, swaying a little with her fatigue but Ash put a steadying arm around her shoulder.

“Then it’s a good thing that I have this with me isn’t it?” Ash asked rhetorically as he pulled Dee’s totem from inside his tunic. “I’ll come with you, someone needs to supervise and make sure you don’t fall asleep in the bath and drown.”

“*Snrk* First ‘sparring’, now ‘supervising’. You know, there’s no need for euphemisms, you _can_ come out and say it, we’re all adults here.” Joker teased mercilessly as Dee shook her head at him in exasperation, too tired to come up with something witty in retort or attempt to beat him to death.

“Go on then, we’ll leave her in your care, Ash, make sure she eats something before she passes out.” Sakuto chuckled lightly. “We’ll make sure the hand mirror in this realm ends up back at your place in Santorina.” Dee nodded, giving everyone an exhausted little wave as she rested her head against Ash’s chest, closing her eyes to cross over.


	21. Epilogue

“And on behalf of myself and the other national leaders of Wonderland, it’s my great pleasure to award the very first Cardia Cross to Ash for his actions and bravery during the recent battle in Ebonia.” Ruber smiled as she pinned the beautiful medal on to Ash’s chest and the crowd burst into applause. It had been decided that instead of Cardia’s memorial cross being a Protean only award, it was to be adopted as the first pan-Wonderland medal and as such, this event was being held by Alice’s statue. The plaza there had become the place where they held mixed national festivals etc.

The ceremony was a little bittersweet, it was a celebration of the end of Gentiana’s civil war and the launch of the new medal but also an unavoidable reminder of Cardia’s sacrifice. Ash headed for Dee once the presentation was over and the after party started. Dee wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned up to give him a chaste peck on the lips.

“Congratulations, it’s a stunning medal.” Dee commented as she traced it with her fingers. In the centre of the cross there was an enamelled rose emblem and the colour scheme was red and gold. It had been four weeks since Cardia died; some days were harder than others. Sometimes something would remind Dee of him and she’d feel her chest squeeze tightly with intense grief which she just had to ride out until it passed.

“Yes, I didn’t expect to be put forward for it, I just did what needed to be done.” Ash looked down at the award on his chest. “I’ll get a frame from Bill and mount it to the wall; I wouldn’t want anything to happen to it by wearing it out everywhere. Are you thirsty? Let me get us something to drink.” He turned to head over to one of the buffet tables that had a cask of Protean rose mead set up on it.

“Ah, Dee, there you are! I’ve been looking for you.” Opera approached her, scooting her way through the crowds of people. She had a small pouch with her that she dropped into Dee’s hand. “Here, this is something that Ruber and I made for you.”

“Why am I getting presents when it’s Ash’s award ceremony?” Dee asked as she opened it up and shook a silver bracelet into her palm. It was a pretty plain twisted curb chain except for a small metal ‘Heart’ charm attached to it. “Oh, this is lovely but what’s the occasion?”

“It’s not just a random present, it’s enchanted. We’ve all been pretty worried about you since we found out that it’s fatal if your ‘Heart’ is drained completely so we’ve come up with a temporary failsafe.” Opera took the bracelet and fastened it around Dee’s wrist. “If it detects your magic level has dropped below a certain point, one of the potion bottles you’ve filled will appear and you’ll need to drink it or absorb it as an emergency top up.”

“Oh ok, that’s a good idea. I’ve never tried to reabsorb my magic; I wonder how that’ll work? Maybe it will be through inhalation like huffing solvents?” Dee rambled as she fiddled with the chain to tighten it a touch before realising Ash was back with their drinks and both him and Opera were giving her a probing look. “Not that I’ve ever done anything stupid like that before, of course.”

“Hmm, moving on. This bracelet is a stop gap measure, we want to invent a process which doesn’t depend on you wearing anything external. Ideally it would be some sort of permanent spell that triggers and automatically boosts your magic, but that’s something that’s going to take some time to develop.” Opera explained as Dee took the mug of sweet mead from Ash and took a sip. It was thick, sickly and had a floral taste.

“Well just let me know when you need me for tests and I’ll be happy to help.” Dee stated as Ash took her hand, lifting it so he could examine the new bracelet for himself. It was very pretty but not to the point where it would catch the attention of thieves, it would do no good if Dee’s failsafe got stolen when she might need it most.

“Have you thought about what Sakuto said?” Ash asked once Opera had flitted off to find Noir after having a sudden brainwave and wishing to discuss it with her fellow researcher. The other day, Sakuto had asked Dee what she wanted to do about magic in the Other World. If she wanted to try and break Aegeus’ spell then they’d help her but the decision had to be hers because it was her world after all.

“I’m going to leave things as they are. The discovery that magic is real would just undermine the current world order as it stands and I can’t really see what the benefit would be if most humans are Mute and would never be able to use magic.” Dee replied as she put her mead down, not being able to stomach anymore as it was just too sweet for her, she actually preferred kota. “I’ll just have to be careful not to try and cast anything there so as to avoid energy shocks.”

“Are you going to carry on taking magic lessons from Ruber?” Ash asked as he brushed some hair out of Dee’s face, they were still doing their best to keep Dee’s powers a secret but the threat felt less acute now The Black Wave was dealt with. Dee was generally popular throughout Wonderland so it was hoped that she wouldn’t be in danger if it became known that she could use magic.

“Yes, I think it’s a good idea. The way I see it, I already use my power on an instinctual level when in dangerous situations so it seems silly to try and pretend it isn’t there. Ruber says my speciality seems to be barriers and protective spells so she’s going to focus on those and maybe some surprises.” Dee was excited by the prospect of adding another string to her bow, being able to add magic to her combat skills.

“She’s right, being able to throw up a strong barrier at the last second is usually something most mages find tricky but you can already do it consistently and do it well.” Ash agreed before he spotted Bill in the crowd trying to get his attention discretely. “Hey, are you hungry? I thought I saw some of those pretzel things you liked somewhere, let me go look and you stay here.”

Dee nodded as Ash left and disappeared in the throng of people, she let her mind wander as she considered what she should make in the next baking lesson she ran at the school. She was brought back to the present when she realised Mad was stood a few paces in front of her. He was looking at her chest with what looked like tears in his eyes.

“Mad? What’s wrong? Why are you upset?” Dee asked in concern as she closed the distance between them. Mad kept his eyes fixed on the same spot in the centre of Dee’s chest and she realised with a jolt what he must be looking at. “Mad, can you see my ‘Heart’ now?” He nodded dumbly at her for a few minutes before he regained the ability to speak.

“Opera had told me some time back that I wasn’t far off being able to see ‘Hearts’ myself if I kept working hard at my magic. I just wasn’t expecting them to be quite so beautiful.” Mad sniffed away his tears and smiled. “Or maybe it’s just because this one belongs to you? You are so full of love for everyone that it must show in your crystal.” Dee felt a little emotional herself at hearing that and shrugged helplessly before giving Mad a warm hug. 

Suddenly, there was the sound of someone tapping a glass with a spoon to get the crowd’s attention. When Dee looked, she saw Sakuto on the stage with the glass, Ash standing next to him with his hands behind his back. Dee spotted Bill and Irena near the front of the stage, looking positively beside themselves with excitement for whatever reason. Once Sakuto realised he’d got everyone’s attention, he gestured to Ash who cleared his throat to speak as Sakuto left the stage.

“Dee, could you come up here for a moment, please?” He sounded a little nervous and Dee cocked her head to the side for a moment in puzzlement, wondering what this could be about? With an encouraging push from Mad, she made her way up to the stage. Once there, Ash turned to her, still concealing something behind his back.

“Dee, I love you; I have something I want to give you and I’m really hoping that you’ll accept it.” Ash addressed her, a murmur was rumbling through the crowds, speculating on what might be about to happen. He took another deep breath and revealed his hands. Dee gasped, her own hand going to her mouth, Ash was holding a newly forged stiletto, the sharp blade gleamed brightly and the hilt had been wrapped with braided leather that had been stained a dark blue colour. “Do you understand what thi-?”

“Yes!” Dee interrupted Ash, her voice trembling as she blinked rapidly. “Yes, I know what you are asking with this gift… and yes, I’ll accept it, of course I will, Ash, yes!” The onlookers broke out in cheers and applause but Dee only had eyes for Ash as he released a breath in relief and the biggest grin covered his face. Bill tossed a scabbard at his feet and Ash scooped it up. He sheathed the dagger and held it out to Dee.

Instead of taking it, Dee moved the three steps towards Ash and threw herself in to his arms. Ash took a half step back with a noise of surprise but he instinctively curled his arms around her. As he regained his balance, he felt rather than heard Dee say ‘I love you too’ against his lips before she kissed him. The crowd got even louder but for a few moments, they might as well have been the only two people in the whole realm.

“Good to see that earlier research came in handy for you, Dee.” When the two of them came off the stage, hand in hand, everyone wanted to congratulate them and Sakuto was the first in line. He shook Ash’s hand warmly, bowing low to kiss the back of Dee’s before straightening up. “It couldn’t have happened to two nicer people. You are so perfect for each other.”

Dee felt a little overwhelmed from all the emotions whirling around inside her but she was keeping an eye out for a certain someone. When she had located him, she stretched up on her tiptoes to whisper in Ash’s ear, he broke out in a grin, nodded and let go of her hand. Dee weaved her way through the people until she was standing in front of Joker.

“Congratulations! Seriously, Dee, I’m over the moon for the both of you.” He told Dee as he pulled her into a tight hug, she squeezed him back for a moment before breaking the embrace to drag him behind the treeline and away from prying eyes. Joker gave her a quizzical look when they stopped.

“I have something important to ask you… I want you to be my brother-in-arms. Please say you’ll do this for me.” Dee had taken both of Joker’s hands in hers and squeezed them as she spoke. Joker’s jaw dropped and surprisingly, his eyes filled up with tears. He tried twice to speak but, in the end, he settled for just nodding furiously. “Oh, thank you! You might already know this but you’re going to have to have a duel with Ash at the engagement ceremony, to make sure he’s worthy of me.”

“He’s not.” Joker managed to croak out around the lump in his throat, prompting a gasp from Dee. “Then again, no one is good enough for you in my mind. I love you so much, you are like the best friend ever and a little sister wrapped up in one and no one is ever going to live up to my standards for you. But out of everyone in the whole of two worlds, I’d say Ash comes the closest to passing muster.” Joker wrapped Dee up in another hug, fiercer than the last one.

“You just tell me if he ever makes you cry and I’ll gut him for you.” Joker murmured into her hair, deadly serious. After taking a few moments to pull himself together, Dee and Joker rejoined the party. They were just in time to see Ash officially ask Mad to be his brother-in-arms, surprising no one except Mad himself who stuttered his acceptance in shock.

“Seriously, who else would I have asked but you, you idiot? You’re my best friend and you saved my life, if you hadn’t have done that then I wouldn’t have met Dee at all. Never mind being around to see Santorina being rebuilt and my clan re-established.” Ash gently placed his hand on the nape of Mad’s neck and gave him a firm shake. “Besides, your duel with Dee should be good because you’ve got very similar skill sets.” 

“Oh Joker, are those tear tracks I see on your cheeks there?” Noir’s teasing voice piped up, drawing everyone’s attention towards him. Joker blushed bright red up to the tips of his ears as he used his sleeve to wipe his face, his tough guy reputation lying in tatters.

“Of course not! I just ate some of those really spicy dried chillies and my eyes started watering.” Joker protested indignantly, prompting a wave of laughter. Meanwhile, Ash had beckoned Dee over to where he was sitting on a picnic style bench. Once Dee was there, he grabbed her right leg and placed her foot on the seat between his knees, his hands undoing the buckles of her old scabbard that was fastened around her thigh.

“I remember reading that it’s traditional at proposals in your world to put your partner’s engagement ring on their finger so I figured this was as close as I could get to doing the same thing.” Ash explained as he replaced her old stiletto with the new one. “I had Bill make it so it was the same weight as the one you’ve been using. It’s definitely nicely balanced and the leather grip won’t slip or hurt your hands.”

“It’s beautiful, I’m sure I’ll get used to it in no time. The blue stained leather is a nice touch.” Dee ran her fingers over the pommel, appreciating the nod to her original blue ‘Heart’. “Joker said yes. Well, he actually just nodded because he was a little overcome but don’t tell him I told you that.” Ash chuckled as he finished with the buckles, testing the tightness. 

“I was a little worried that you’d think I was moving too fast with the proposal.” Ash admitted as he took Dee’s hands in his when she put her right leg back down. “But the time we spent apart just underlined the fact that I already know I want to spend the rest of my life with you, so what’s the point of waiting for some arbitrary amount of time until it’s ‘acceptable’ to get married?” 

“My gut instinct was to say yes, there was no panic or doubt. So, I agree, if it feels right to us, then why worry if other people might think we’re rushing in to things?” Dee was about to lean in to kiss him when someone grabbed her into a bear hug from behind.

“Dee! You have no idea how hard it’s been to keep my mouth shut since Ash asked me to make you that knife!” Bill actually span around a little bit, making Dee glad that she hadn’t had much of that mead. “I even had to steal your old stiletto without you noticing to get the measurements and then return it.” Bill eventually put Dee back down where she put a hand on his forearm to steady herself.

“Well, that’s as good a reason to reprise your old thievery skills as any, I guess.” Dee chuckled before she heard the distinctive call of a lorikeet and looked towards the glade, spotting a familiar lory sitting on one of the branches. Dee grinned and slipped away from the party until she was next to the little bird.

“Congratulations, Dee, I simply could not wait till I saw you next to tell you that. It’s so lovely to see you both together, you practically radiate with how much in love you are.” Lory had jumped on to Dee’s shoulder and spoke into her ear directly.

“Thanks, Lory, I’m happy you’re here to share this with us. I just wish Cardia was here too. Do you think he would have been happy for us?” Dee asked, gasping at a sudden freak gust of wind. “Where did that co-” The question died on her lips when she realised the breeze had brought with it a shower of white and red rose petals.

FIN


End file.
